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World Sight Day on 8 October!

World Sight Day, held on the second Thursday of October each year marks an important day to bring together colleagues from around the world to promote and advocate for eye health preservation.

The International Council of Ophthalmology is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) in support of our ophthalmology member societies and colleagues around the world.

Please see important resources below to engage and communicate around World Sight Day on 8 October 2020.

"High-quality eye care accessible to all is essential for accomplishing universal health coverage. The World Report on Vision provides guidance and inspiration on how to advance integrated people-centered eye care and raise awareness in order to help protect sight for all ages. There are many ways ICO member societies and ophthalmologists worldwide can contribute to this mission."
Dr. Ivo Kocur, Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Ophthalmology and contributor to the World Report on Vision.

Blindness and vision impairment

Blindness and vision impairment affect at least 2.2 billion people around the world. Of those, 1 billion have a preventable vision impairment or one that has yet to be addressed.  Reduced or absent eyesight can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services.

Reduced eyesight can be caused by a number of factors, including disease like diabetes and trachoma, trauma to the eyes, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. The majority of people with vision impairment are over the age of 50 years; however, vision loss can affect people of all ages. Blindness and vision loss are felt more acutely by people in low- and middle-income countries where accessibility and specific government services may be lacking. In those countries, the most common cause of vision impairment in children is congenital cataract. 

More information on https://www.who.int/health-topics/blindness-and-vision-loss#tab=tab_1

World report on vision

At present at least 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. The world faces considerable challenges in terms of eye care, including inequalities in the coverage and quality of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services; a shortage of trained eye care service providers; and poor integration of eye care services into health systems, among others. The World report on vision aims to address these challenges and galvanize action.

More information on https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/world-report-on-vision