“Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful”, is a famous quotation by Helen Keller. It is indeed a matter of luck to have good vision to see this wonderful and beautiful world. However, not everyone is fortunate, and it is the responsibility of those blessed with sight to do something for those in need. [break]
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World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) along with local governmental and non-governmental partners, launched a global initiative in the late 1990s with an aim to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
The event receives global attention every year. World Sight Day initiative is organized under the Vision2020 global initiative. The global theme this year is ‘Universal Eye Health’, and the call to action is ‘Get your Eyes Tested’.
The key focus of the action plan is to promote universal eye health coverage and reduce levels of avoidable blindness. Diseases that receive attention under World Sight Day initiative are cataract, trachoma, refractive error, low vision, and diabetic retinopathy. With combined effort from all sectors including medical institutions, up to 70 percent blindness can be prevented or treated.
WHO estimates that 285 million people are visually impaired, 246 million have low vision, and 39 million are blind: 80 percent of blindness is preventable and 90 percent of them live in developing countries. About 65 percent of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises only 20 percent of the world’s population.
An estimated 19 million children are visually impaired. Increasing elderly populations in many countries mean that more people will be at risk of age-related visual impairment. Out of the eye care services that are administered worldwide; it is known that women and girls receive barely 35 percent while men and boys receive well over 64 percent. Women and girls make up over two thirds of the blind population worldwide.
In our country, approximately one third of the population lives below the poverty line. Two-thirds of all persons with disabilities have no access to education, while 5 percent of the total population does not attend school. There are no official figures on the number of persons with disabilities. In terms of visual impairment, it is estimated that there are 210,000 blind people, mostly due to cataracts, and 230,000 people are visually impaired.
Nepal Blindness Survey (NBS) was conducted in 1980/1981, which shows prevalence of blindness was 0.84 percent. It was a major milestone in the history of Nepal’s eye care services. Following the gravity of the situation in regards to the prevalence of blindness, multiple national and international NGOs made combined and individual efforts to provide the services at grassroots level. As a result, blindness has reduced to 0.35 percent from 0.85 percent, which was reported in “The Epidemiology and Blindness in Nepal 2012” published by Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh.
As targeted by ‘Vision 2020, The Right to Sight’, Nepal Eye Program was officially launched in July 1992 to support the prevention of blindness in Nepal. The Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) is the implementing body of the Nepal Eye Program. To commemorate the day, the World Health Organization hosts an exclusive interactive exhibition on vision and eye care. In our country, eye hospitals as well as international and national NGOs all over the country will be taking active part in bringing everyone together to help people in need.
Activities
Every individual has his own way of commemorating World Sight Day. Activists who work solely for the cause distribute posters, bookmarks, booklets and other promotional materials that help raise awareness. Some people plant trees, and some take active part in awareness campaigns like marathon, rallies, etc for the cause.
Some people visit schools, colleges and institutions in order to educate others about the perils of vision impairment. Eye care professionals, medical institutions, academic institutions and corporations will also be involved actively in different awareness programs.
How can we support?
We can help stop darkness from spreading. We can imagine how difficult and dangerous our life would be if we could not see. In striving to eliminate blindness both locally and globally, we need to work together to bring hope to the world’s blind people by supporting activities on World Sight Day. The aim should be raising awareness about the problems, prevention, and treatment of blindness.
Ways to get involved
Taking part in a sponsored activity at work, at school, in community or in institutions. For example, sponsored walks, marathon, paragliding, and skydiving. Holding activities in local clubs and libraries regarding the importance of having good eyesight with examples of locals who are undergoing treatment for sight related problems.
Getting help from celebrities or volunteers who can share their inspiring stories. Hosting a tea party or coffee morning/afternoon in aid of the cause. Making a donation of money or gift to be used at a fundraising event. Holding our own World Sight Day fundraising event to assist the message of the day.
Eyes are the windows of the soul, according to a traditional proverb. If we really want to purify our soul, we need to help people in need, through individual or combined efforts. Let us work together to prevent avoidable blindness. And finally, do not take your vision for granted, but have your eyes checked.
The author is a consultant Ophthalmologist at Tilganga institute of Ophthalmology
elipranjitkar@googlemail.com
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