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London, UK – A special CBeebies Bedtime Story will air on World Sight Day, 10 October 2024. HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh will read Specs for Rex written by Yasmin Ismail, a story about a young lion who embraces his new glasses, helping children understand that wearing glasses is fun and essential for school, play and safety.
Her Royal Highness joins past readers, including the Princess of Wales, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Kate Winslet, sharing stories on the popular CBeebies Bedtime Story. The programme is part of IAPB’s efforts to ensure children and their parents understand the importance of eye health, getting regular eye checks and breaking down the stigma that can be associated with wearing glasses and eye patches.
In a trailer for the CBeebies programme, Her Royal Highness says, “Millions of us need glasses to see the world clearly. World Sight Day is a reminder to all of us to take care of our eyes, whether we need glasses or not. Our eyes are precious, and our sight is something to cherish and look after. So, let’s remember to take care of our eyes this World Sight Day.”
IAPB Spokesperson Simon Darvill said “We’re thrilled to have CBeebies and HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh shine a spotlight on children’s eye health for World Sight Day. I know myself how lovely it is to sit down as a family to watch the CBeebies bedtime story, and we hope that this special story will engage millions of families, shine a spotlight on the importance of eye care for children and encourage people to book that all important sight test.
World Sight Day, organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), highlights the importance of eye health with the theme Love Your Eyes. This year, the campaign focuses on the need for regular eye tests and accessible eye care for children everywhere. Every school day, around the world, children continue to go to class with uncorrected vision. This results in millions struggling to read the board or their books, impacting their educational attainment and potential.
As a IAPB Global Ambassador and advocate for global eye health Her Royal Highness visited Tanzania in September to meet with officials and patients working to eliminate blinding trachoma in Tanzania. The visit featured projects by UK based charity Sightsavers and drew attention to the fact that 1.1billion people in the world have a treatable or preventable vision problem but do not have access to treatment.
