World sight day: 9 october 2003

Ivo Kocur

World Sight Day, which this year is observed internationally on 9 October, draws attention of public and health care providers to the fact that more than 80% of global blindness can be either prevented or treated. World Sight Day aims to raise international awareness of the problem of global blindness and the many issues involved around the world, including resources and the availability of services. Blindness is not just a health issue; it is an issue of poverty, with 90% of all avoidable blindness occurring in the developing world. Avoidable blind- ness has huge economic implications. The Prevention of Blindness Programme at WHO aims to assist governments in developing comprehensive and sustain- able eye care systems resulting in the elimination of avoidable blindness.

In 1999 the World Health Organization, along with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, launched „Vision 2020: The Right to Sight“, a global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. It is known from research studies that the numbers of people who are needlessly blind are continuously increasing. During the World Health Assembly this year the issue of prevention of blindness was discussed on the agenda and a resolution to support the development and implementation of National Blindness Prevention Plans, was adopted. This means that Governments and Ministers of Health all around the world have accepted the importance of prevention of blindness and the role of “Vision 2020”. WHO, along with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, support those governments, particularly those with greatest need, to ensure that they have national plans to prevent blindness in place that can be implemented and monitored.

As part of that process, Vision 2020: The Right to Sight is, on this year’s World Sight Day, launching a ‘tool kit’ for governments and for professionals in the eye care field. The aim of this tool kit, which is on a CD, is to ensure that those involved in the preparation and implementation of a national blindness prevention plan, have the necessary evidence based information, templates, data and research knowledge, to help them complete this task. In addition to that there are many activities related to World Sight Day happening around the world. There is a photographic exhibition in the lobby of the main WHO build- ing in Geneva, showing the winning pictures of the Vision 2020 Photographic Competition 2003 ‘Visions of Children’ selected from over 300 entries. The images show the direct and indirect impact of blindness on children. The photos are also exhibited in New York, London and Sydney.

For more information.

Dr. Ivo Kocur “Vision 2020” Global Coordinator World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness and Deafness, Office 6102 Management of Noncommunicable Diseases CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland; Tel: +41 22 7911435 Fax: +41 22 7914772; Email: kocuri@who.int