The World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness have designated the second Thursday of October as World Sight Day, bringing attention to eye health and blindness worldwide.
Ten things to know about World Sight Day:
1. The theme of Oct. 13, 2022, World Sight Day is "I Pledge to Prioritize my Eyes."
2. IAPB's goal was to have 5 million sight test pledges signed in the month of October, and it has already reached 6.8 million pledges
3. World Sight Day's 2021 theme Love Your Eyes brought eye care to millions of people worldwide who lack access to physicians.
4. World Sight Day is sponsored by over 200 organizations globally.
5. World Sight Day global ambassadors include British Royal Family member The Countess of Wessex, Saudi Arabian Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Abdulaziz Al Saud and Hong Kong-based philanthropist James Chen.
6. IAPB launched a knowledge hub featuring 12 topics central to eye care.
7. Free sight screenings are being held at the New York United Nations office and at parliaments around the world on World Sight Day 2022.
8. World Sight Day is also part of a larger initiative that calls on leaders to bring affordable eye care to every person worldwide by 2030.
9. The campaign also encourages the general public to pledge to get one eye screening a year.
10. World Sight Day is celebrated in Europe, Africa, the Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, Latin America, North America and the Eastern Mediterranean.