World Sight Day 2021.
Hello Everyone My Name is Vivek Chaturvedi. I am writing a blog about World Sight Day 2021.
World Sight Day 2021: It is observed on the second Thursday of October and this year it falls on 8 October. The day focuses global attention on blindness and vision impairment. Let us have a glance at the 2021 theme, history, and significance of the day.
The day aims to spotlight global attention on vision impairment and blindness. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness features a leadership role in preparing the annual World Sight Day across the World.
World Sight Day 2021: Theme
World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus global attention on vision impairment, including blindness. This year, World Sight Day will take place on October 14, 2021 with the theme: Love Your Eyes.
The theme of World Sight Day 2020 is " Hope In Sight". More than 1 billion people aren't able to see properly as they do not have access to glasses. Over 3 out of 4 of the world's vision-impaired are avoidably so. We can't ignore the fact that reduced or absent eyesight can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life like daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school, etc.
Several factors are responsible for reduced eyesight such as diabetes, trachoma, trauma to the eyes, or conditions like refractive error, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, or glaucoma. The majority of individuals with vision impairment are over the age of fifty years; however, vision loss can affect people of all ages.
World Sight Day: History
Lions World Sight Day has raised awareness about the importance of eye health and therefore the need for quality eye care services for all since 1988. On this special service day, Lion club across the planet conduct sight-related projects like vision screenings, eyeglass donations, restorative surgeries, eye health education schemes, and therefore the donation of assistive devices to those with vision impairment. Traditionally, Lions World Sight Day is held within the month of October.
Originally, World Sight Day was initiated by the SightFirstCampaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. The day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the VISION 2020 Global Initiative.
About International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
In 1975, The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) was established as a coordinating, umbrella organisation to steer international efforts in blindness prevention activities.
Its first major achievement was to enhance the establishment of a World Health Organisation (WHO) Program for Prevention of Blindness. In the global initiative, it is now embodied namely VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.
Members of IAPB are directly involved in the delivery of eye care services across the world focussing on building capacity, including human resource development, in low-income countries.
Eye Care Tips
There are things you can do to help keep your eyes healthy and make sure you are seeing your best:
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Your diet should include plenty or fruits and vegetables, especially deep yellow and green leafy vegetables. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut can also help your eyes.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or having obesity increases your risk of developing diabetes. Having diabetes puts you at higher risk of getting diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
• Get regular exercise. Exercise may help to prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems. So if you exercise regularly, you can lower your risk of getting these eye and vision problems.
• Wear sunglasses. Sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Protect your eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
• Wear protective eye wear. To prevent eye injuries, you need eye protection when playing certain sports, working in jobs such as factory work and construction, and doing repairs or projects in your home.
• Avoid smoking. Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.
• Know your family medical history. Some eye diseases are inherited, so it is important to find out whether anyone in your family has had them. This can help you determine if you are at higher risk of developing an eye disease.
• Know your other risk factors. As you get older, you are at higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. It is important to know you risk factors because you may be able to lower your risk by changing some behaviors.
• If you wear contacts, take steps to prevent eye infections. Wash your hands well before you put in or take out your contact lenses. Also follow the instructions on how to properly clean them, and replace them when needed.
• Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time using a computer, you can forget to blink your eyes and your eyes can get tired. To reduce eyestrain, try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
Eye Tests and Exams
Everyone needs to have their eyesight tested to check for vision and eye problems. Children usually have vision screening in school or at their health care provider's office during a checkup. Adults may also get vision screenings during their checkups. But many adults need more than a vision screening. They need a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Getting comprehensive dilated eye exams is especially important because some eye diseases may not have warning signs. The exams are the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages, when they are easier to treat.
The exam includes several tests:
• A visual field test to measure your side (peripheral) vision. A loss of peripheral vision may be a sign of glaucoma.
• A visual acuity test, where you read an eye chart about 20 feet away, to check on how well you see at various distances
• Tonometry, which measures your eye's interior pressure. It helps to detect glaucoma.
• Dilation, which involves getting eye drops that dilate (widen) your pupils. This allows more light to enter the eye. Your eye care provider examines your eyes using a special magnifying lens. This provides a clear view of important tissues at the back of your eye, including the retina, macula, and optic nerve.
If you have a refractive error and are going to need glasses or contacts, then you will also have a refraction test. When you have this test, you look through a device that has lenses of different strengths to help your eye care professional figure out which lenses will give you the clearest vision.
At what age you should start getting these exams and how often you need them depends on many factors. They include your age, race, and overall health. For example, if you are African American, you are at higher risk of glaucoma and you need to start getting the exams earlier. If you have diabetes, you should get an exam every year. Check with your health care provider about if and when you need these exams.
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