Each year the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) holds an international day of action called World Sight Day. The IAPB facilitates a new awareness campaign each year to improve vision, health and education around the world. This year World Sight Day will be on October 13, 2022, and the theme of the campaign is #LoveYourEyes. Directly from the World Sight Day page, the IAPB says:

“We are focusing the world’s attention on the importance of eye care. We invite you to join us by prioritizing your eye health and considering how eye care and rehabilitations services should be accessible, inclusive, and affordable to everyone, everywhere.”

- IAPB

Photo from IAPB World Sight Day Photo Competition 2021

The agency’s mission is to work towards universal access to quality eye care in order to correct preventable sight loss for every community. They offer an optimistic point of view by explaining that the vision problems across the globe are ones within the industry’s grasp of solving. One of the key components of the World Sight Day campaign is the eye test pledge. In 2021, over 3.5 million people pledged to get their eyes tested. In 2022, the IAPB is upping their target to 5 million pledges. You can pledge here.

As an eye care provider, you understand the importance of vision health. Furthermore, as an independent business, you have the ability to make major positive impacts in your community. Villa Eyewear is powered by independent eyewear brands for independent eye care practices. We believe independent business in the vision industry is the future, and has tremendous capabilities in making real progress in our communities. That is why we are sharing 4 ways for your practice to celebrate World Sight Day.

1. Empower People in Your Community

The IAPB has resources available to the public that can help you engage with people in your community. World Sight Day starts in your practice’s very own neighborhood. It is a great day to consider your approach to equity and underserved communities. Some strategies to consider when restructuring your approach to outreach include:

• Integrate eye care into community health - As a business owner, you hold weight in your community. If you do not already have a relationship with your local community leaders, consider reaching out to them to speak about vision health in your area. You will have valuable expertise in an unfamiliar topic to them, and it will be appreciated.

• Develop eye care education programmes - As an ECP, you are an expert on the importance of vision health. Explore ways to share that knowledge with your community. You can try attending community events to give free speeches or presentations or even put together reading material to hand out in your office.

Outreach is an excellent way for your practice to become a prominent figure in your community. It’s a great opportunity for you to bring in business, educate underserved communities, and celebrate World Sight Day.

2. Learn About Global Eyecare

Another way your practice can celebrate World Sight Day is by taking some time to learn more about the state of vision care in different parts of the world. The IAPB has educational resources including a World Report on Vision Care available for you to download. In the report you can learn about:

Graphic from IAPB World Report on Vision 2021

• Statistics about global vision health - Including that 2.2 billion people across the world have a vision impairment, but nearly 1 billion people do not have access to the vision care they need.
• Insight into who is most vulnerable - Learn, in depth, about how and why women, the elderly, Indigenous, and other groups of people are more susceptible to improper care.
• Deeper understanding of the need - Gain knowledge on what tactics domestically and abroad could help solve the problem for people in need.

Furthering your understanding of vision access across the globe will make you a more well-rounded practitioner and even better prepare you for any outreach you may be planning.

3. Participate in the #LoveYourEyes campaign

A massive component to World Sight Day is bringing visibility to eye health issues across the world. That is why the IAPB is using the hashtag, #LoveYourEyes, to raise as much awareness as possible to the issue. Villa Eyewear will also be participating in the campaign on World Sight Day. Independent brands can make a big influence in their communities to engage with the campaign as well. The goal of the campaign is to generate enough buzz to influence local and global decision makers to enact the changes necessary to treat preventable blindness. So use the hashtag on October 13th! Take it a step further with a corresponding visual, because the IAPB even allows you to create a free campaign poster.

Poster from IAPB World Sight Day Poster Creation Tool 2022

4. Sign the World Sight Day Pledge

Last, but not least, one of the best ways to participate in World Sight Day is by signing the pledge to Love Your Eyes. The IAPB is aiming to garner 5 million pledges, and every name counts! Independent eye care businesses are in a unique position to be able to influence our communities to enact positive change. We aren’t tied to a distant chain of command and can freely use our platforms to spread awareness for meaningful causes. Villa Eyewear stands with the IAPB’s mission to create a world with universal access to eye care.

If you are looking to partner with a brand that prioritizes independents and doing good in the world, contact Villa Eyewear today.