Each year, World Sight Day provides a chance to emphasize the importance of eye care. This World Sight Day, WCO proudly supported our partners at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in their annual #LoveYourEyes campaign. See how some of our member organizations celebrated World Sight Day 2023 below.
WCO Country Members
Association of Malaysian Optometrists
The Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO) celebrated World Sight Day 2023 with a vision and eye health screening program under the theme “Love Your Eyes at Work.” This event occurred at the Malaysian Parliament on October 11th and 12th, 2023. The ceremony was honored by the presence of YB Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, the Minister of Health Malaysia, who officiated the program. AMO expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to YB for inaugurating this initiative.
The event aimed to raise awareness about the essential role of optometrists in primary eye care and educate the public on distinguishing between optometric practices and eyeglasses shops. Additionally, AMO is dedicated to addressing the problem of late detection of blindness and strives to help the community identify eye issues at an early stage through various vision and eye health screening activities.
AMO extends its deep gratitude to Ophthalmic Instrument, Essilor, MSU-iCARE, and Rhazes TeleHealth for their valuable contributions by providing the necessary equipment, which played a crucial role in the success of the eye screening process. The organization also acknowledges and appreciates the dedicated volunteers, students from the School of Optometry at UCSI, lecturers, and the Executive Committee of the Malaysian Optometrists Association (AMO) for their unwavering commitment and effort in making this eye screening program a success.
AMO expresses genuine thanks for the generous support and collaboration from all involved parties in their mission to promote better eye health and awareness within the community.
Botswana Optometrists Association
SCHOOL EYE HEALTH WEBINAR
In recognition of World Sight Month, Botswana Optometrists Association (BOA)’s webinar on 4 October 2023 included a unique panel deliberation on School Eye Health – Opportunities & Challenges in African & Asian Continent, with 3 speakers, 2 moderators and 8 panelists, and around 87 attendees across the globe.
BOA was honored to have both WCO President Dr. Sandra Block and Mr. Patrick Mawila, Geographic Representative for Africa on the WCO Board, in attendance for this virtual deliberation. All attendees received a BOA certificate that is CPD accredited with 2 points for this session by the Botswana Health Professions Council.
MOTSWEDI REHABILITATION CENTRE WELLNESS EVENT
During the Motswedi Rehabilitation Centre’s wellness event for the physically & visually challenged on 9 October 2023, BOA Chairperson, Optom Thanuja Panicker-Naicker, delivered an eyecare awareness talk with emphasis on World Sight 2023 Theme, Love your Eyes at Work.
Following the opening ceremony to commemorate World Sight Month, free eye screening was conducted for those who gathered at the event. Out of the 89 individuals screened for vision, 16 needed reading correction and 13 were referred for further evaluation. The event was graced by the presence of Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Mr. Bharat Kumar.
BOTSWANA ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND & PARTIALLY SIGHTED WORLD SIGHT MONTH AWARENESS VISION SCREENING CAMPAIGN
On 10 October 2023, a World Sight Month & White Cane Day special awareness event and free eye screening was done in collaboration with Botswana Association for the Blind & Partially Sighted (BABPS) at the Mogoditshane village kgotla. Out of the 153 elderly from the community, 49 were found to be normal, 40 were given free reading specs, and 93 were referred to the Government Hospital for further line of treatment; around 11 were referred for further check up for spectacle correction.
LOVE YOUR EYE AT WORK AWARENESS VIRTUAL TALK FOR NOVARTIS (SA) EMPLOYEES
On 19 October 2023, BOA Chairperson, Optom Thanuja Panicker-Naicker, was invited online to talk on eyecare awareness at work, embracing IAPB’s World Sight 2023 theme, for around 60 employees of Novartis (South African division).
Indian Optometric Association
The Indian Optometric Association (IOA) celebrated World Sight Day in different locations throughout India. Dr. Rekha Chalapathi of Milestones Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Bengaluru (south India) and Ms. Katia Kayina of Dept of Optometry at RIPNS Institute in Mizoram (east India) observed World Sight Day with the theme “Love Your Eyes at Work.” IOA also conducted a continuing medical education (CME) session in Andhra Pradesh at Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital and Institute, Visakhapatnam.
A comprehensive eye screening event was conducted by Visual Eyez for schoolchildren in Delhi NCR (Noida). At this event, IOA Secretary Dr. Rajeev Prasad presented a counseling and awareness session to a parents’ group about children’s eye health and myopia.
Nigerian Optometric Association
In celebration of World Sight Day, the Nigerian Optometric Association organized a ‘Walk for Sight’ along with multiple free vision screenings, eye health education to the public, and distribution of prescription spectacles after eye checks.
Optometric Association of the Philippines
Under the leadership of Dr. Melissa Anglo, Dr. Elaine Rose Alcobilla-Anore and Dr. Benjie Girl Martinez Optometric Association of the Philippines (OAP) & Negros Occidental Optometric Society (NOOS) conducted the World Sight Day 2023 Vision Screening Training for School Clinic Teachers at the Victorias Elementary School in Philippines.
Optometry Council of India
On World Sight Day, October 12, Optometry Council of India (OCI) hosted Part 13 of their “Unsung Heroes” series, highlighting dedicated optometrists bringing vision care to those who need it. This event was presented live for individuals to stream through OCI’s Facebook page as well as Optician India Magazine’s Facebook page.
South African Optometric Association
Eye Care Awareness Month is an important time for raising awareness about eye health and the importance of regular eye check-ups. The South African Optometric Association (SAOA) has taken the initiative to arrange numerous outreach campaigns in addition to two large events.
SAOA Public Health Director, Office bearers, students from UJ and volunteer optometrists, screened and provided eye health education to over 400 people. This was a great way to reach
out to the public and spread knowledge about eye care.
SAOA Western Cape members were at Meerendal Estate for a fun filled walk to create awareness about preventable blindness. Through these initiatives, the SAOA wish to remind people to “love their eyes” and create a positive impact on the eye health of our nation.
Trinidad and Tobago Optometrists Association
The Trinidad and Tobago Optometrists Association (TTOA) commemorated World Sight Day 2023 with a vision screening event at D’abadie Government Primary School, working alongside D’abadie Lions Club, UWI Optometry, EyeSeeYou Ophthalmics and Bryden Pi in collaboration with Alcon.
WCO Affiliate Members
College of Health Sciences, University of Buraimi
The College of Health Sciences (COHS), University of Buraimi (UOB) conducted several activities with reference to World Sight Day.
From September 21-23, in collaboration with Al Buraimi governorate, COHS organized a 3-day awareness program at the Lulu Hypermarket Al Buraimi to promote the importance of health monitoring to the public. This event was guided by two faculty from COHS along with students from the Department of Optometry and the Department of Nursing. Many individuals visited the campaign for health checkups during the event, which included blood pressure monitoring, blood sugar monitoring, and vision screening.
In October, COHS arranged for 23 optometry students to attend Optoverse-4 Optometry Conference 2023 on Saturday, October 14, and for final year optometry students to visit the VisionPlus Expo, on October 17 and 18, both held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Hanoi Medical University
To celebrate World Sight Day 2023 with the message “Love Your Eyes at Work,” the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry at Hanoi Medical University (HMU), in collaboration with Brien Holden Foundation, successfully organized a comprehensive eye health screening event for more than 400 staff at the Government Office of Vietnam on September 14 and 15.
The eye screening event took place in a comfortable and friendly environment, with a team of experienced ophthalmologists and optometrists. Everyone underwent eye health checks using state-of-the-art and modern equipment. Any abnormalities in the eyes were detected, and timely treatment plans were provided to minimize the risk of severe complications that could lead to vision loss.
This event delivered a crucial message about the importance of maintaining eye health and practicing daily eye care in the workplace. Through this screening session, individuals also received valuable information on how to care and protect their eyes from potential hazards such as sunlight, poor lighting conditions in the workplace, and frequent use of electronic devices.
Thanks to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (AusAid) through Australian NGOs working in eye care like Brien Holden Foundation and other donors, optometry education and optometric services have been established and developed in Vietnam.
India Vision Institute
A series of events and campaigns marked India Vision Institute (IVI)’s World Sight Day commemoration.
RECORD-BREAKING “SPECTACLE”
A world record 2200-sq.ft. human formation of a pair of glasses created a visual spectacle that served to remind everyone of the need to take care of the eyes. At Elliot’s Beach, Chennai on October 8, over 500 optometry students and professionals formed the pair of human spectacles. IVI collaborated with Dr Agarwal’s Institute of Optometry and Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital for the event that was supported by Lawrence & Mayo Opticals.
LOVE YOUR EYES AT WORK
On October 12, IVI vision screened transgender individuals at Kannagi Nagar in Chennai. In another vision screening for one of the most unreached groups, IVI vison screened the Irula snake catching community in Tamil Nadu, with support from the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Suresh Ramanathan & Karma Yoga Programme. OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation supported us to vision screen 1,000 commercial bus driver in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). Another campaign, supported by Hoya Lens India, helped IVI vision screen 1,500 commercial bus drivers, also in Delhi.
Additionally, we vision screened over 50,000 underprivileged children in Chennai’s corporation schools, with the support of OneSight
EssilorLuxottica Foundation and over 8,100 school children in Delhi, in association with Vision to Vision, a Delhi based voluntary organisation, and supported by ICICI Foundation.
IVI pledged to vision screen 100,000 people and achieved the target in the weeks leading up to World Sight Day on 12 October 2023.
University of South-Eastern Norway
In celebration of World Sight Day 2023, the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design hosted a World Sight Day webinar in collaboration with several event partners on October 12, titled “Love Your Eyes Across Borders.” The event was held in English and featured presentations from Norway, Madagascar, Kenya, and South Africa.