Over 1 billion people all over the world have eyesight problems but no access to treatment. 90% of sight loss is preventable or curable, but millions of people cannot afford a simple pair of glasses. In the light of these dramatic facts, in order to raise awareness and focus global attention on blindness and sight impairment, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) annually organises the World Sight Day (WSD), which is celebrated on the second Thursday of October.
The 2021 theme is back again this year: #LoveYourEyes. The Love Your Eyes campaign encourages people to pay attention to eye health, while also supporting the need for affordable and available ophthalmic care worldwide. The intended message is aimed not only at the general public but also the entire industry and authorities around the world.
Various charitable organisations have taken up the call from IABP in global initiatives, both independently and in partnership with the association.
Commissione Difesa Vista Onlus (Commission for Eye Health Protection)
Today sees the start of the new information campaign "Occhio a Pinocchio" (Eye on Pinocchio) by Commissione Difesa Vista Onlus in collaboration with the Rainbow Group, featuring the world's most famous puppet.
The initiative, which will continue until February 2023, will involve opticians' centres and 32 Italian schools with the aim of raising awareness among children and parents about the problems and risks arising from insufficient attention to eye care.
The project (also made possible thanks to the collaboration of Federottica and the support of technological partners Essilor, Zeiss and Frastema Ophthalmics) envisages the distribution of kits and information materials, including posters, octotypes and cards linked to the characters of the TV series "Pinocchio and Friends", each spokesperson for a different message promoting visual wellbeing, in Italian opticians' centres and schools. In addition, colourful stickers with the claim "I've checked my eyesight, I don't tell lies!" will be given to each child who undergoes an eyesight check carried out by ophthalmologists and opticians, in selected schools participating in the project. A dedicated section on the CDV Onlus website will also provide in-depth information and advice on how to protect children's sight in everyday life.
OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
To mark World Sight Day, EssilorLuxottica and the OneSight Foundation - which comprises the advocacy and philanthropic activity of the EssilorLuxottica Group - have confirmed their commitment with the ‘The Right to See’, an awareness-raising campaign structured through various channels, as well as initiatives designed to offer eyecare treatment to the neediest on a global scale.
First of all, the foundation has collaborated with world-renowned U.S. photographer Steve McCurry, who has created spellbinding portraits of two children that are displayed through the digital showcases of the Foundation and EssilorLuxottica. The campaign is supported by all the brands, teams and employees of the Group, worldwide.
The initiative comprises other activities and partnerships: throughout October, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, in partnership with its local partners in various communities, offers ophthalmic services around the world to over 350,000 children and adults. The aim is to guarantee access to eyecare, and supply glasses to as many people as possible.
The Lions Clubs
On this special day, the Lions Clubs around the world implement specific projects including: eyesight screening, donation of glasses, educational programmes on eye health and the donation of visual devices to people with sight problems.
This year, the various clubs are encouraged to organise their activity for World Sight Day in concurrence with the Lions Club Worldwide Week of Service in Sight.Sightsavers
On the occasion of World Sight Day, Sightsavers launched the Eye Health Equals campaign to show the impact of eye health in people's lives and ensure that eye care needs around the world are met. A comment on the campaign comes to us directly from the Italian office: "Eye health has an incalculable impact on people's lives and is essential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health care, of which it must therefore be considered an essential part."