World Sight Day is observed every year on October 12 to raise awareness about blindness and vision impairment. The day aims to promote global attention to the importance of eye health, preventing blindness, and providing access to eye care for all.
The day is organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in collaboration with various stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, governments, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Theme
Each year, World Sight Day has a specific theme or focus to address key issues related to eye health and vision care. The theme for this year is "Love Your Eyes at Work," which highlights the significance of eye care at workplaces.
Significance
It serves as a platform to educate the public and policymakers, advocate for eye health policies, and mobilize resources to improve eye care services worldwide. By focusing global attention on the importance of eye health and vision care, World Sight Day aims to contribute to the global effort to eliminate avoidable blindness and ensure that everyone has access to quality eye care services.
Events
Activities on World Sight Day often include eye screenings, public awareness campaigns, educational programs, fundraising events, and the distribution of information related to vision health and blindness prevention. Eye health professionals and organizations use this occasion to highlight the importance of regular eye check-ups, early diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions, and the significance of eye care as a public health issue.
5 lesser-known facts about sight
1. Every human eye has a blind spot where the optic nerve connects to the retina. This blind spot is not typically noticed in everyday vision because the brain compensates for it.
2. Colour blindness is more common in men than in women. About 8% of men and only around 0.5% of women of Northern European descent are colorblind. This condition is typically hereditary, and the most common type is red-green color blindness.
3. Human night vision is not as good as that of many animals. While our eyes have some capacity to adjust to low-light conditions, it takes about 20–30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to darkness.
4. Your eyes are capable of processing visual information incredibly quickly. It only takes about 13 milliseconds for the human brain to recognize and interpret an image.
5. Colour perception can vary from person to person, and it's not just about color blindness. Some people have a condition called tetrachromacy, which means they have an extra type of cone cell in their retinas, allowing them to perceive a broader spectrum of colors than the average person with trichromatic vision. This heightened color perception is extremely rare and occurs in a small percentage of the population.
