World Sight Day: Give a Child a Reason to Smile

Did you know that 75% of people in the world who are blind or have limited vision could see clearly again if they had proper eye care? Just think about that for a moment. That’s almost 190 million people whose lives could be changed for the better, if they just had access to the kind of eye care that we’re so fortunate to have here in Canada.

Something as simple as a basic eye exam to diagnose a common eye disease, or a pair of glasses to correct nearsightedness, or even a routine surgery to correct a child’s crossed eyes. It’s the kind of care and treatment we’ve become so accustomed to in Canada that we don’t even give it a second thought.

But for so many people living in developing countries around the world – the countries where Orbis works – this just isn’t their reality. In places like Ethiopia, Ghana, Bangladesh or Mongolia, many people, especially families living in rural communities, lack access to even basic eye care – because this kind of care just doesn’t exist. Whether it’s a lack of equipment, resources and medical supplies, or a lack of trained eye health workers, the situation is critical. And even if eye care services or treatment options are available, they’re often much too expensive or are only available in major city centres.

As a result, millions of people are needlessly going blind or suffering from a life of compromised vision that limits their ability to go to school, get an education, earn a living, provide for their family, or even just to live independently.

Thursday, October 10^th is World Sight Day, an annual international day of advocacy and awareness to focus global attention on the ever-growing issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Created by The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), this year’s global theme is Vision First!

To mark this critically important day on the global eye health calendar, we’re asking you, our donors, partners, volunteers and supporters, to do just that – put Vision First. We’re launching a 2-week multi-platform, multimedia campaign that will run from October 1^st to 14^th and we need you to join us.

Visit wsd.orbis.org to make a donation, launch your own online fundraising campaign or to learn how to host a fundraising event in your school, at your office or in your community.

Celebrate how lucky we are to have amazing eye care in Canada and pay it forward to those in other parts of the world who might not be so fortunate. Help us spread the word and share why you care about eye care using #WhyICare.

This World Sight Day, give someone the gift of sight…and a reason to smile again.