What is the biggest barrier to eye care access worldwide?

In cooperation with the World Health Organization, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has launched its 2026 World Sight Day campaign, held on October 8, 2026 and now in its sixth year under the #LoveYourEyes banner. The campaign has 2 aims: encouraging people everywhere to prioritize their own eye health, and pressing governments to fund eye care and make it a priority so everyone can get the care they need, according to a news release that announced the campaign in January 2026.¹

This year's focus is on centering lived experience and community action. IAPB is inviting participation in 3 activations:

• Every Story Counts: People share personal experiences to build a collective case for why eye health matters.
• 5 Million Pledges to #LoveYourEyes: A goal of 5 million individual pledges, framed as 5 million voices demanding accessible eye care.
• Global Challenge: The eye care sector is asked to run screenings in schools, workplaces, and parliaments. IAPB is supporting this with expanded Love Your Eyes Kids resources for schools, carers, and children, plus Love Your Eyes at Work materials for employers and workers.

At AAOpt’s Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, Optometry Times asked eye care providers what they believe is the biggest barrier to eye care access on an international scale. Here are their responses, in summation:

• Noreen Shaikh, OD, FAAO: Education and resources are important barriers worldwide. Even where resources exist, they may not reach the people who need them.
• Magdalena Stec, OD, FAAO: Affordability and access to a full range of care options can be barriers; some patients may have access to only one option when another might be more appropriate.
• Huizi Yin, OD, FAAO: Education and accessibility matter. Prevalence data may undercount conditions such as amblyopia when people lack access to care and cases go undetected or unrecorded.
• Brenda Bohnsack, MD, PhD: Inadequate screening and detection of pediatric eye diseases—especially in underdeveloped countries—can leave children without needed treatment.
• Obinwanne Chukwuemeka, OD, MOptom, DipAAO, FAAO, FLVPEI, FSLS: Poverty and limited education can keep people from seeking eye care. The speaker also noted that gender disparities may mean girls and women have less access in some regions.
• Elaine Chen, OD, FSLS, FAAO, DipABO: Education and access are closely linked, including parent awareness, clinician training, and the availability and affordability of screening. Early screening can catch vision problems in children before they cause lasting impairment.
• Rima Khankan, PhD: People may delay eye care until symptoms appear, even though systemic health can affect the eyes. The speaker emphasized education and early screening, including in infancy, to help prevent avoidable vision loss.

The history of World Sight Day

Over its first 5 years, the World Sight Day campaign has collected more than 25 million pledges and over 1 billion media impressions. IAPB positions this year's World Sight Day as a lead-up to the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health, held in Antigua and Barbuda on November 2, 2026. Simon Darvill, IAPB's Director of Communications, Campaigns and Events, called it a pivotal moment as countries prepare their summit commitments. He said in the release that the focus is on building momentum to end avoidable sight loss, not only on celebrating progress.¹

IAPB leads the campaign, more than 250 member organizations champion it, and 18 Love Your Eyes Global Partners support it, including AbbVie, Bayer, CooperVision, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Orbis, Roche, Santen, and Sightsavers. Campaign materials are available here.¹

Reference

1. World Sight Day 2026: An important milestone toward eye care for all. News release. January 7, 2026. Accessed October 6, 2026. https://www.iapb.org/news/world-sight-day-2026-an-important-milestone-toward-eye-care-for-all/