Today we celebrate the World Sight Day (WSD)! This is an international day of awareness dedicated to focusing attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. WSD is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) up to 80% of cases of blindness are avoidable, either resulting from preventable conditions (20%) or are treatable (60%) so that sight is restored. Uncorrected refractive error (URE) is the leading cause of vision impairment and the second leading cause of avoidable blindness. URE, including the conditions myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia, can have a major impact on the health of a person when left untreated, reducing educational and employment opportunities that often lead to poverty.
At RestoringVision, we focus our efforts on providing reading glasses, which assist with two types of URE: Presbyopia and hyperopia (or farsightedness). An estimated 544 million people simply need non-prescription, reading glasses to correct their vision, but live in developing countries where there is limited or no access to glasses.
The theme of the World Sight Day this year is “Universal Eye Health”, focusing on eye care for all. RestoringVision believes that to provide eye care to every person in the world, especially to people in need, it takes a village, a community of like-minded organizations and individuals working together to bring clear vision to those who don’t have access. Since 2003, we’ve partnered with more than 1,400 charitable organizations who have reached over 6 million people living in places where eye care and vision correction are either inaccessible or unaffordable.
As the WHO declares, the right to sight can and must be fulfilled. We can all do something to make eye care accessible to every person in the world. You, too, can play an active role. There are many ways to become involved and help:
- Raise awareness: Vision impairment is one of the greatest global health issues that few recognize. Let others know that there are millions of people who cannot see clearly and lack access to glasses and eye care. Because of this, they cannot go to work, care for their children or keep up with their daily activities.
- Volunteer: There are many organizations with which you can volunteer to bring clear vision to disadvantaged people. If you are already part of a group or a non-profit, add eye care to your current programming.
- Support eye care groups and organizations: Support non-profits and groups dedicated to solving eye health problems by becoming a donor or sponsor.
At RestoringVision, we make it easy to become part of the solution.
- Take glasses on your next trip to a developing country.
- Becoming a sponsor by adding a charitable component to your business.
- Donate today. Every dollar you contribute is converted into a pair of glasses to someone in need.
We are stronger together. If we all do our part, we can make a major difference in the lives of millions of people living with vision impairment by giving them the Gift of Sight!
