Every second Thursday of October marks the global observance of World Sight Day. This year, 13th October is set aside to spotlight the issue of blindness and vision impairment affecting countless individuals worldwide.
The Origins of World Sight Day
The inception of World Sight Day dates back to the year 2000, a creation of the SightFirst campaign by the Lions Club International organization. The event has since been weaved into the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight (V2020) initiative, unveiled in 1999 and steered by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
World Sight Day 2022: The Central Message
The theme for the 2022 observation is ‘Love your eyes.’ These occasions play a crucial role in raising awareness about eye health, considering that more than a billion people across the planet lack quality eyesight due to factors such as limited access to eyewear. Alarmingly, one billion of these individuals suffer from preventable vision deterioration.
Poor or lost vision can significantly impact all life facets, from handling day-to-day personal activities and performing at school or work, to interacting with society.
Understanding Vision Defects
There are several types of vision defects, each requiring its unique intervention.
Myopia, colloquially known as near-sightedness, affects an individual’s ability to see distant objects, making them appear blurry, while nearby objects remain visible. This condition originates from a deformity in the shape of the eyes, causing light rays to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. The recommendation for correction is employing concave lenses.
Hypermetropia, otherwise known as far-sightedness, is the reverse of myopia. People suffering from this vision defect struggle with seeing nearby objects clearly and have an easier time seeing things at a distance. The disorder prompts the person to squint when trying to view closeby objects. This vision defect is rectified using convex lenses.
Presbyopia is another eye condition characterized by a gradual decrease in the eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Symptoms appear around the age of 40 but may get worse until around the age of 65. The treatment typically involves prescription bifocal lenses that combine both convex and concave types.
Finally, cataracts denote an instance where a person’s lens progressively clouds over, resulting in blurred vision. Cataracts are due to a membrane forming over the eye-lens, which gradually impairs sight. This condition can be managed through surgical procedures.
