IAPB gearing up for World Sight Day on Oct. 14

In the weeks leading up to the October awareness day, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness has revealed a campaign to encourage one million people to pledge to have a vision test.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is promoting Love Your Eyes as the theme of World Sight Day 2021, to be held on Oct. 14.

In recent weeks, the IAPB has been promoting a campaign to encourage people who are able to book a vision test, screening or exam.

“Nearly everyone on the planet will experience an eye health issue in their lifetime and more than a billion people worldwide do not have access to eye care services,” IAPB CEO Peter Holland said in a statement. “This is a global issue, but one that starts with us.”

The alliance is calling on individuals, eye care professionals, including ophthalmologists, hospitals, non-governmental organizations and businesses to get involved.

According to the IAPB website, individuals will be can pledge to have their eyes tested or to care for their eyes, while ophthalmologists and other eye care professionals or organizations will be able to pledge all the tests carried out in the weeks leading up to World Sight Day.

“This World Sight Day, 14 October, we are calling on everyone who is able, to book a sight test, an exam, or a screening to check on their wellbeing of their eyes,” Holland added. “We are asking people to pledge their tests as part of our Everyone Counts initiative”

On World Sight Day itself, the IAPB will host a global challenge, which it suggests will “unite the world, bringing people across the globe together to have their eyes tested.”

The aim of the challenge will be to “remind the world that everyone counts to demonstrate the importance of taking care of our own eye health, and to highlight work still to be done in achieving access to eye care services for everyone.”

More information on the campaign can be found on the IAPB website.