World Sight Day: A Powerful Tool for Eye Health Advocacy

World Sight Day has evolved into a critical platform for global advocacy, rallying governments, organisations, and communities to recognise the importance of eye health. This annual event has become a cornerstone of the Love Your Eyes campaign and the ongoing effort to build awareness of eye care that must become accessible, affordable, and available to everyone, aligning with the United Nations’ promise to leave no one behind. 

Launched by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in 2021, the Love Your Eyes campaign has played a pivotal role in driving momentum towards a world where eye care is recognised as vital to health, development, education and economic growth. The campaign has garnered significant global attention from world leaders, policymakers, and the public. 

A key milestone in this journey was the universal adoption of the UN Resolution Vision for Everyone: accelerating action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This groundbreaking resolution, the first of its kind, was designed to tackle preventable sight loss on a global scale. It marked a significant turning point, reframing eye health as a critical socioeconomic issue integral to achieving the SDGs by 2030. The resolution calls on all Member States to commit to eye health for the 1.1 billion people living with preventable sight loss by 2030, emphasizing that unaddressed vision impairment will continue to obstruct efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve the SDGs. 

World Sight Day 2024 promises to be another important event for eye health advocacy. The Love Your Eyes Campaign, in collaboration with the United Nations Friends of Vision group, will host a series of sight screening events in recognition of the importance of child eye health, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will hold a Sight Screening and Exhibition at UNICEF Headquarters in New York as well as a number of in-country UNICEF offices and schools across the world. The screening will promote the critical links between accessible and early eye care interventions, child development and the achievement of the SDGs.  

A second sight screening will be held at UN Headquarters in New York. The event will provide a platform for UN leaders and global decision-makers to acknowledge eye health as a worldwide, cross-cutting development issue distinctively plagued by inequality and integral to achieving the SDGs by 2030. 

The impact of such advocacy efforts is evident in past successes. For instance, the 2022 sight screening at UN Headquarters in New York saw over 350 Ambassadors and UN staff screened. The event served as a focal point for advocacy outreach, allowing influential decision-makers to engage with the importance of vision as a cross-cutting development issue. 

As we approach World Sight Day 2024, the need for continued advocacy has never been more urgent. With half the world’s population expected to be living with vision impairment by 2050, the time to act is now. World Sight Day serves as a rallying cry for global leaders, organisations, and individuals to ensure that everyone, regardless of their location or economic status, has access to the eye care they need. 

By participating in World Sight Day activities and supporting the Love Your Eyes campaign, we can collectively make a difference. Together, we can ensure that the promise of the UN Resolution on Vision is fulfilled, unlocking human potential and securing opportunities for future generations. 

Learn how you can get involved in World Sight Day efforts at www.iapb.world/world_sight_day