The focus of World Sight Day, on Thursday 12 October 2023, is the importance of eye care in the workplace.
Together, the global eye care sector aims to encourage employers to make eye health initiatives standard practice and promote eye health habits that will benefit the well-being, safety and productivity of millions of employees. From factory floors and office buildings to staff rooms and studios, let’s ensure that eye care is available, accessible and affordable to all.
Themed #LoveYourEyes, this global initiative is organised by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness. In collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), they have produced a new report on Eye Health and the World of Work, drawing attention to healthy vision as being integral to safety and productivity at work. You can watch the launch and discover the main findings of the report here.
the IAPB has produced a series of resources that aim to encourage employers to prioritise and protect the vision of their employees
Additionally, the IAPB has produced a series of resources that aim to encourage employers to prioritise and protect the vision of their employees.
This includes everything from avoiding accidents in the workplace, which are too often caused by or lead to poor vision, to productivity, which is greatly improved when the eye health of workers is a made priority. Download and share the resources here with your patients.
Global Perspective
World leaders in New York recently discussed the value of vision to the world at a meeting in New York on 22 September.
Host and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne opened the meeting by saying, “We must focus more of our collective action on health and development initiatives which are achievable and can accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. Healthy vision is one of those issues, but we must prioritise it more. It can be solved this decade.”
The meeting heard that more than 2.2 billion people, almost one-third of humanity, currently live with vision impairment, with 1.1 billion people suffering from avoidable sight loss, 90% of whom live in middle-and-lower-income countries. Unaddressed poor sight costs the global economy US$411 billion in lost productivity each year and impedes a states’ ability to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities.
Activating Support
As a Global Patron of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, CooperVision joined forces with the organisation for the 2030 IN SIGHT photo exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 9-20 October. Submissions, including one from CooperVison and Vision Action from their work screening children in Ghana, challenge viewers to consider the impact of eye health on sustainable development outcomes. You can preview the exhibition, including a submission, by visiting the exhibit website or through the attached booklet.
