Ophthalmic industry offers support for World Sight Day
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The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness is asking everyone to #LoveYourEyes in recognition of World Sight Day on Oct. 14.
This year, the group’s goal is for more than 1 million people to pledge to get an eye exam or care for their eyes, according to the group’s website.
The World Council of Optometry (WCO) announced in a press release that it supports this goal to help draw attention to the importance of eye health for everyone.
The WCO also urged eye care providers to pledge the number of eye exams, screenings or surgeries their organization will do in recognition of World Sight Day.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) also established the “Everyone Counts Global Challenge” and plans to join its partners to livestream eye exams and screenings in unique and unusual locations around the world in every time zone and region.
“We also encourage our members and partners to get involved, too, and share your screenings across your social media platforms,” the IAPB said on its website.
OneSight said in a press release that it will participate in this global effort by checking children’s vision and showcasing the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York.
“While these landmarks represent some of the most recognizable sights in the world, more than 1 billion people globally lack the ability to see them clearly,” OneSight President and Executive Director K-T Overbey said in the release. “This vision care gap can hold individuals back from education, employment and the ability to achieve their full potential.”
Alcon announced in a press release that it provided free eye exams and screenings at local elementary schools on Sept. 23. The company said that on Oct. 14, in conjunction with World Sight Day, Alcon representatives will return to deliver free prescription glasses to the students.
Prevent Blindness said in a press release that it is asking the public to make eye health a priority by scheduling an eye exam, giving a gift to help save sight, and advocating to support vision and eye health policies.
The group is also partnering with Zenni and Horizon Therapeutics on social media efforts to raise awareness of vision and eye health.
CooperVision stated in a press release that that on World Sight Day the company is dedicating its social media posts to the IAPB’s #LoveYourEyes initiative and pledging a $40,000 investment in the agency’s 2022 Focus on School Eye Health Initiative, which is a series of webinars, events, blog posts and video content.
Also on World Sight Day the company said it will debut a video on the myopia pandemic among children, CooperVision’s myopia management portfolio and partnership with the World Council of Optometry to help drive a standard of care for myopia management.
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