Vision First for surgery patients in Ghana

We celebrated in Ghana by literally putting Vision First! Our partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services, conducted 305 eye surgeries as part of the celebration, as well as screening for eye problems at Watborg and Saltpond Government Hospital. We also held a media briefing and an eye health promotion, which was well attended by 12 local media houses.

The national launch of WSD was held at Chapel Square, in Ghana’s Cape Coast. In attendance were heads of local departments and agencies, representatives of eye NGOs, and the Regional Director of Ghana Health Service – Central Region, Dr. Alexis Beifubah. As part of the event, Dr. Beifubah presented Operation Eyesight with an award for our contributions to eye health and for organizing activities during WSD 2019.

Clean glasses in Calgary, Canada

In Calgary, we took to downtown’s Stephen Avenue to raise awareness and remind people to put Vision First, joined by volunteers from Encana Corporation. Together, we handed out 1,000 eyeglass cleaning cloths, wished even more people a happy World Sight Day, and reminded everyone to book an eye exam. Canadians might not share the same challenges to eye health as people in other places around the world, but avoidable blindness will only be eliminated when everyone is empowered to take care of their eye health!

Vision First in 22 communities in India

In collaboration with our partners Nepal Eye Hospital, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya and Bansara Eye Care Centre, we celebrated WSD by declaring a total of 22 villages free of avoidable blindness. The declaration ceremony was attended by government officialsand stakeholders, and was covered by local print and digital media. Also, our Country Manager for India, Anup Zimba, participated in a walkathon organized by Vision 2020 in Jaipur, along with 700 others.

Outreach puts Vision First in Kenya

In Kenya, we put Vision First by conducting an outreach event to provide eye care services to people in Kirinyaga Country, where we’ve implemented our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program model in 150 villages. The result was 36 cataract surgeries and 182 people receiving treatment for different eye issues.

There was also education to emphasize the need to prioritize eye health, especially for women who are often too busy with farm work to seek eye health care. The message to everyone who received outreach was simple – make time to get your eyes screened and treated. That will help everyone lead more healthy and productive lives.

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At the Devex UHC Pavilion, I had the opportunity to hear from global leaders who discussed these challenges and shared insights about how we can work towards achieving the goal of UHC. Many ideas were shared, and it is clear UHC will not be achieved alone; we need to build collaborative, multi-sector partnerships that bring together a range of perspectives and expertise. Our beneficiaries must be at the centre of our solutions; a human-centred approach is essential to ensure we are fully meeting the needs of the end user. Further, we need to build scalable and sustainable models that can attract private sector investment to our solutions. Most importantly, through all of this we need to ensure we leave no one behind – that means developing innovative models to reach the most underserved and marginalized communities.

Uncorrected poor vision is the world’s largest unaddressed disability, with one in three people being affected – 89 percent of which live in developing countries (Essilor). Even more alarming, this costs our global economy US$272 billion in lost productivity every single year (Essilor).

Poor vision is a public health crisis, and it is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Those who live in poverty are more susceptible to vision impairment because of lack of access to primary health services, poor hygiene and sanitary conditions, and cultural stigmas around vision correction. When a person living in poverty can properly see, they become an active, engaged member of their community, and they no longer face the burden of being shamed for their disability.

An estimated US$14 billion is required to create a world free from uncorrected refractive errors (Essilor). This sounds like a lot, but it is achievable – with commitment and action from governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and global citizens like you.

Together, we can improve the lives of millions of people by preventing blindness and restoring sight. A simple pair of eyeglasses enables individuals to return to work, provides children with the opportunity to attend and succeed at school, and increases one’s safety and well-being.

We partner with local hospitals and governments to provide quality eye care services to everyone – regardless of gender, age or ability to pay. We work to address the root causes of avoidable blindness and remove barriers to access for women and men alike. Our innovative community outreach model trains community health workers – typically women who live and work in our target communities – to conduct door-to-door eye screenings and educate families about eye health and general health topics such as prenatal care, nutrition and immunization.

Enabling individuals to reach their full potential benefits us all. We have made significant strides in addressing poor vision, but there is still much work to be done. We have an opportunity to collectively address one of the world’s largest public health challenges and improve the lives of millions while doing so.

This World Sight Day, October 10, I invite you to make a donation and join us as we transform lives – For All The World To See.

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