World Sight Day 2024: “Children, love your eyes”

The second Thursday of October is World Sight Day, an opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting our eyes and vision, raise awareness of visual impairment and blindness, and promote eye and vision care. On October 10, 2024, the WHO Regional Office for Europe will pay special attention to children’s eye health. Eye health services should be accessible, available and affordable for all children.

While uncorrected visual impairment can impact education and social integration, simple solutions like glasses can make a big difference. In May 2024, WHO launched the SPECS 2030 global initiative to ensure access to high-quality, affordable eyewear and related people-focused services for all who need them.

World Sight Day is also an opportunity to debunk myths about vision and work toward a world in which all children are free from the social stigma associated with wearing glasses or other corrective procedures for their eyes and vision .

Protecting the vision of our future generations

Research shows that reducing screen time and spending time outdoors protects children from developing nearsightedness (myopia), meaning parents, carers and educators have a central role to play in protecting the vision of our future generations.

Regular eye and vision checks can help detect problems early. WHOeyes is a free app that allows you to take vision tests from the comfort of your own home. The app’s accuracy and usability were tested in three separate research studies. WHOeyes is suitable for people aged 8 and over. WHOeyes is available in 14 languages ​​for the iOS and Android mobile operating systems.

Restoring a person’s vision with glasses or cataract surgery is one of the most cost-effective health interventions. However, it is currently estimated that in the WHO European Region, on average, less than 40% of those who would benefit from cataract surgery have had it and achieved good results. Effective correction of refractive errors is more widespread, but still only covers 64% of those in need in the WHO European Region.

World Sight Day can serve as a reminder that adults should also prioritize their eye health. It is important to take regular breaks from activities such as reading or using digital devices and to wear eye protection when using tools and chemicals that could damage the eyes. Smoking and UV exposure should also be avoided, for example by wearing sunglasses and hats outdoors to prevent eye diseases.

On World Sight Day, let’s make a pledge to protect children’s eyes so they can see well today and tomorrow.