NEWARK, N.J.—The optical community came together last week on October 10 in honor of World Sight Day (WSD), marking the celebration, held annually on the second Thursday of the month, with joyous and awareness-raising events worldwide, coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). With the theme “Love Your Eyes,” events in the U.S. and across the globe included almost 200 IAPB member organizations as well as eyecare organizations, industry and eyecare professionals with a focus on the unique needs of children’s vision and eye health. Participating organizations seized the opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting one’s eyes and vision, raising awareness of vision impairment and blindness, and promoting eye and vision care with various programs, challenges and educational opportunities.

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) joined in prioritizing children's eye health for World Sight Day 2024, this year asking parents, caregivers and schools to prioritize children's eye health by making a pledge to Love Your Child’s Eyes, reinforcing children’s eye health as a top priority and raising awareness of the 450 million children globally who have a sight condition that needs treatment.

“World Sight Day 2024 is focused on children's vision. What a great opportunity to highlight and increase awareness of the importance of screening, diagnosing and treating vision issues early in a child's life to reduce the number of people with preventable visual impairments,” said Dr. Sandra Block, WCO president, “Good vision is important for our children to learn and grow.”




Alcon associates read, “Howard and the Amazing Eye Exam” to students at a local Fort Worth elementary school on World Sight Day.





Alcon hosted local STEM high school students on its Fort Worth campus, the Tuesday prior to World Sight Day. The students attended a career panel with professionals in the field, toured Alcon’s R&D facilities, used virtual reality to learn about eye anatomy, and participated in a hands-on wet lab where they practiced cataract surgery techniques.





Modo Eyewear and Seva Foundation are working to establish Vision Centers in Nepal and India, with a mission of providing top-tier eyecare to more than one million people by 2025.
 
 
 OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is reaffirming its belief that good vision is a basic human right, through its “The Right To See” campaign.
 
The Vision Council Foundation, a leading advocate for the vision industry, also announced its support for IAPB’s annual commemorative holiday. The group noted that this year’s campaign shines a light on children’s eye health and aims to achieve a reality where children around the world have access to safe, affordable and reliable resources to reach and maintain healthy vision.





Also joining in the celebration was Optometry Giving Sight, which invited individuals to join its annual World Sight Day Challenge. The theme, “Giving Together, Seeing Forever,” celebrates the collective power of the optometry community to give the gift of sight to millions of people in need. According to the group, dollars donated help deliver access to eyecare families around the world. The World Sight Day Challenge is the group’s largest annual fundraiser, the organization said.

On the industry side, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, through its “The Right To See” campaign, reaffirmed its foundational belief that good vision is a basic human right. The Foundation has executed World Sight Day programs across the globe, including vision exams, screenings, fundraising activities and the establishment of new partnerships, with the ambition of improving vision care access for all.

The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation’s North America team also hosted charitable vision clinics and screenings in cities across the region this October leading up to World Sight Day, including clinics in Toronto, Ontario, Fairfax, Va., and Dallas, Texas, in addition to supporting screening events at the United Nations and UNICEF in New York. Additionally, the Foundation aims to raise awareness about the importance of vision care and the lack of access through specific World Sight Day messaging displayed in stores across various EssilorLuxottica retail banners, including LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut, throughout the month.

“We believe that good vision changes everything and that all people should be afforded clear and protected sight. World Sight Day is an important annual moment when this focus is highlighted on a global stage,” said Becky Palm, executive director, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation North America.

In celebration of World Sight Month, Modo Eyewear and Seva Foundation are working to establish vision centers in Nepal and India, with a mission of providing top-tier eyecare to more than one million people by 2025. The two groups are supporting the establishment of 14 centers in total, with the plan for the project, first started in 2022, to come to full fruition by 2025. These centers will provide more than one million individuals with access to sustainable high-quality and affordable eyecare services, including comprehensive eye exams and follow-up care. Modo Eyewear’s support covers clinical training, infrastructure and equipment for the centers, making eyecare accessible to underserved populations, especially women and children.

At Alcon, the company noted that WSD celebrations are part of more than a decade of ongoing charitable work to support eyecare and eye health. Among its efforts are the launch in 2021 of the Alcon Children’s Vision Program, in which Alcon volunteers, school nurses and other partners work to provide free vision screening for students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth. Two years later, Alcon opened the Alcon Children’s Vision Center, offering onsite comprehensive eye exams, prescription glasses, and year-round access to eyecare to students, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

And, earlier this year, the Alcon Children’s Vision Program expanded in Huntington, West Virginia, where Alcon associates are providing vision screenings to local students of Cabell County Schools. Over the past decade, the company noted, it has partnered with organizations to provide vision screenings to children in Fort Worth, Texas, screening more than 30,000 children in Fort Worth in 2023 alone.

This year, the company said it took several initiatives to recognize WSD:

● In Geneva, Switzerland, home to Alcon’s global headquarters, Alcon partnered with several Geneva primary schools and Pro Natura (the oldest environmental organization in Switzerland) on a series of workshops using nature and science to educate children and their parents on the importance of vision in a creative, relevant way.

● In Fort Worth, Alcon volunteers were at elementary schools to lead educational activities with students to raise awareness of the importance of eye health. During the week of WSD 2024, Alcon associates were also conducting free vision screenings for Fort Worth elementary school students as part of the Alcon Children’s Vision Program, where about 1,700 children were reached. Area high school STEM students were also on Alcon’s Fort Worth campus during the week of WSD 2024, where they had a tour of Alcon’s R&D facilities, experienced a virtual reality tour of the human eye, and toured a cataract surgery wet lab, while also attending a career panel discussion.

● For the third consecutive year, Alcon held a photo contest among its global associates to share with the world what it means to #LoveYourEyes through photography. The Alcon World Sight Day 2024 Photo Competition celebrates the work of Alcon amateur photographers where a winning site—and a runner-up Alcon location—will receive donations to the eligible eyecare charities of their choice.

In keeping with the WSD theme for World Sight Day 2024, Zeiss Vision Care celebrated some of the work being done around the world to create a sustainable future for improved eye health and vision care for children. Through the Aloka Vision Programme, Zeiss indicated, it enables eyecare for thousands of children annually in unserved regions. Implementing the World Health Organization guideline for integrated people-centered eyecare and working closely with non-governmental organizations, eye clinics and optometry colleges, Zeiss said it is committed to sustainably making eyecare available for more children who would otherwise be left behind. Other projects include global activities to offer treatments for children in need in Asia, Africa and South America.

“I am really pleased whenever I see evidence of our commitment to supporting meaningful projects around the globe; projects which improve access to eyecare and vision care for those in need, and especially to underprivileged children," said Jesper Wiegandt, chief marketing officer at Zeiss Vision Care. "Lifelong eye health has to begin with our actions at young ages. Creating early awareness for how to maintain good vision can and will make a real impact on every child’s life, education and future.

Wiegandt contined, "Prioritizing healthy eyes as well as clear sight can help manage or even prevent vision problems as we all age. That is why we will continue to contribute to eyecare and eye health with our products and solutions but also by directly getting involved with our many local projects that make a lasting impact in communities around the world.”

SUNY College of Optometry's University Eye Center showcased its commitment to eyecare at the UNICEF and UN headquarters during an outreach event on October 8 and 9. This event, held as part of the Love Your Eyes campaign, aimed to raise awareness about World Sight Day and its significance in preventing vision impairment and blindness.

SUNY College of Optometry also held an eye health event in New York City. On October 8, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal hosted an Older Adult Resource Fair at the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center. The University Eye Center, represented by Dr. Amy Steinway, assistant chief of primary eyecare, and a team of SUNY College of Optometry students, provided complimentary eye screenings to more than 30 adults. The screenings offered valuable insights into their eye health and served as an opportunity to educate attendees about the diverse range of services offered by the University Eye Center.

“We really enjoyed providing care to the seniors in our community," said Dr. Steinway. " Everyone seemed to enjoy the service and were appreciative that they got their questions answered. Thanks to Senator Hoylman-Segal who hosted this fair.”