Love your eyes was the theme of this year’s World Sight Day on October 14, which was promoted by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) with four Ps: prevent, protect, preserve and prioritise.
The charity’s annual event called on the eye care industry to raise public awareness of blindness and vision impairment, lobby governments to designate funds for prevention programmes and educate the public about eye health.
United Nations (UN) diplomats partnered with the IAPB and World Sight Day partner OneSight for a sight screening event, which saw co-chair of the UN friends of vision group and UN representative for Ireland, Geraldine Byrne Nason, have a sight test.
‘On World Sight Day, Ireland’s message is that eye health has the power to unlock human potential,’ Byrne Nason said.
Global ambassador for the IAPB, Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, joined children at Perseid School in London who had their sight tested by SeeAbility.
SeeAbility highlighted children with learning disabilities were 28 times more likely to have a sight problem than other children.
Lisa Hopkins, CEO of SeeAbility said: ‘No one is “too disabled” for a sight test and SeeAbility’s eye care programmes are proving that bringing eye care to children with learning disabilities in their school environment, is transformative.
‘Thinking creatively about the way eye care services are delivered can mean everyone gets a more equal right to sight. And at a time when the pandemic and worldwide lockdowns lead to more time spent on screens, less time spent outdoors, and missed sight tests, that has never been more important.’
Industry activity
Mackie Opticians in Lanarkshire shared a patient’s story to highlight the importance of community as part of its World Sight Day activity.
Dr Scott Mackie, owner of the independent optical practice, was contacted by a patient who told him she could no longer attend in-person because of her reduced mobility.
He said the patient’s eyesight was failing and she could no longer see with great detail, which left her feeling isolated.
‘The patient has no remaining family and had no visitors for over a year due to the pandemic, so I arranged a home visit to ensure she was receiving the support and treatment she required. We provided her with a new telescope that could help her long-distance vision, so she could once again feel that connection to the people in the park close by,’ Mackie explained.
Mackie also arranged for social services to provide the patient with assistance for preparing meals and housekeeping. The optical practice has pledged to continue its community work and signed up to Sense Scotland’s #SharedVision campaign.
‘Looking after those in our community is incredibly important to us at Mackie Opticians. We strive to be more than just somewhere people go to get their eyes tested every couple of years, and we’re delighted to be able to genuinely help improve our patients’ quality of life,’ Mackie added.
Art collaboration
EssilorLuxottica marked World Sight Day with its first campaign as a combined company to raise awareness about poor vision among children.
It partnered with Australian artist and illustrator Karan Singh to create colourful visuals to reinforce the importance of eye health.
A website (putvisionfirst.com) was also created to provide key information to parents, as well as an accessible, online vision-screening test.
The eyewear and lens giant said it wanted to address the lack of access to eye care that millions of children around the world experienced, which jeopardised their futures.
Early and regular eye examinations were highlighted by the company as important to help children thrive and achieve their dreams.
Francesco Milleri and Paul du Saillant, CEO and deputy CEO of EssilorLuxottica, said: ‘As a global leader, we have the responsibility to do the heavy lifting in building a brighter future for future generations. This starts with raising global awareness about the importance of regular vision screenings and concrete initiatives to improve access to vision solutions. With these creative campaigns, we are taking another step forward to enable the adults of tomorrow to pursue their dreams without being limited by poor vision.’
An online tool to estimate a patient’s risk of developing age-related macular degeneration was launched by the Macular Society to highlight the importance of eye health.
The test included five questions to estimate risk and suggested practical things patients could do to decrease their own risk and protect their eyes.
Cathy Yelf, chief executive of the Macular Society, said: ‘Our sight is precious. We know it is one of the senses people most fear losing, yet many people remain unaware of the simple things they can do to protect it, including attending regular sight tests.
‘An optician may be able to see early signs of the condition, even before you notice any change to your vision. And, the earlier you find out, the more likely that sight can be saved.’