World Sight Day

August 4, 2009

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/worldsightday/en/index.html

Eye on the Future: Fighting Vision Impairment in Later Life

Word Sight Day is an annual day of awareness coordinated by the Vision 2020 Global Initiative and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Its aim is to raise global attention concerning the current reality of 300 million people living with blindness and vision impairments worldwide. On WSD, Vision 2020 members work together to:

• Raise awareness of vision impairments and blindness, an international public health issues.
• Involve and influence governing health ministries to distribute funds and resources for national blindness prevention programs.
• Inform of targeted assemblies of the Vision 2020 initiative, as well as generating more support for its program activities.

Why World Sight Day?

World Site Day is a global event included in the World Health Organization’s official calendar and held every second Thursday of October.

• About 300 million people are living with a serious vision impairment
• 90 % live in developing countries with little chance of proper treatment.
• More than 80 % of the people living with blindness are over 50 years of age
• Yet 75 % of blindness cases are preventable, curable, or treatable. Over 150 million people live with defective eyesight simply because of uncorrected refractive errors.

To win free contact lenses: http://www.lensshopper.com/world-sight-day/

http://www.lionclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/vision-events/lions-world-sight-day.php

Please feel free to share this information with staff and customers.

Thank you,
Joyce.