OSWI MEMBERSHIP RALLIES TOGETHER FOR WORLD SIGHT DAY 2020
OSWI MEMBERSHIP RALLIES TOGETHER FOR WORLD SIGHT DAY 2020
The Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI) joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Sight Day on October 8, 2020. World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. The theme of World Sight Day 2020 (WSD20) is: Hope In Sight. This event is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the VISION2020 Global Initiative.
(COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly changing the way the health and development communities are working. With the proximity of eye health professionals to patients during eye examinations and reports that the virus can cause conjunctivitis, COVID-19 has implications for eye health and eye health professionals. Travel restrictions, reprioritization of health resources and economic consequences are impacting the work of many of our members. Nonetheless, the work to eliminate blindness remains at the forefront regionally.
According to the WHO, blindness and vision impairment affects at least 2.2 billion people around the world. Of those, one billion have a preventable vision impairment or one that has yet to be addressed. Reduced or absent eyesight can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school, and work opportunities and the ability to access public services. In addition, 2.6 billion people have myopia, including 312 million children under 19 years of age. Additionally, millions of people are living with eye conditions that increase their risk of sight-loss:- 196 million people living with age-related macular degeneration- 146 million people living with diabetic retinopathy – 76 million people living with glaucoma – 2.5 million people living with trachomatous trichiasis -277 million people living with high myopia.
The Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies will continue to do its part in working together in making vision count within the region. Despite COVID restrictions, OSWI will be coordinating various virtual events in keeping with the present landscape. They have already organized, media interviews, social media awareness, and educational series; all shared virtually to ensure that everyone is sensitized to the valuable messages for World Sight Day. One notable event is the Virtual World Sight Day Wall that will be launched on World Sight Day to encourage all individuals, members, partners, and association to send in any photos or videos to show us how they are eliminating blindness and giving hope in sight within their community. The Wall will be up for six months starting from 10th October 2020 to 9th April 2021. The collection of articles, photos, and videos will be submitted to the International Association of Preventable Blindness to be included in their Global report.
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