World Sight Day 2023

Thursday 12 October is World Sight Day (WSD), an annual day of awareness which aims to focus attention on the global issue of eye health.

Eye health impacts education, employment, quality of life, poverty and so many other factors. Universal access to eye health is paramount, and it’s important to make sure that everyone counts.

More than a billion people worldwide do not have access to eye care services and nearly everyone on the planet will experience an eye health issue in their lifetime. This is why the theme this year is #LoveYourEyes in the workplace. This year there will be a special focus on helping employers recognise the importance of quality eye care to employees.

To learn how to #LoveYourEyes find out how you can prevent sight loss and to protect, preserve and prioritise vision:

• prevent - many eye diseases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle
• protect - it’s important to protect and take care of your eyes, the risks range from severe sunlight to prolonged exposure to screens at home
• preserve - book regular eye tests
• prioritise - make time to put your eye health first

Our eyes can tell us so much about our general health, it’s important to look after them. There are simple things you can do to care for your eyes, including spending time outside, getting an eye test and taking regular screen breaks. The 20-20-20 rule helps your eyes relax when you’re looking at a screen for a long time. Every 20 minutes take 20 seconds to look 20 feet away.

WSD is co-ordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and became an official international day of awareness in 2000. It has been marked in many different ways in countries around the world each year. Over 150 IAPB member organisations support WSD. Every major eye care non-governmental organisation in the world, as well as other professional bodies, unite in working together to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Staff are reminded that eyecare vouchers are available for staff who use display screen equipment daily for a continuous period of an hour or more. You can find eyecare vouchers on our intranet page.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, you and your employer have a duty to take reasonable care over health and safety. This also applies to other people who may be affected by your actions or omissions at work. Making sure your home working environment is right for you, and this includes your interaction with display screen equipment, is important to us. You can find risk assessment guidance on the intranet.

Make the time this World Sight Day to find out what you need to do to prevent sight loss, and to protect, preserve and prioritise your vision.