The Australian ophthalmic sector is putting its weight behind World Sight Day 2024, taking place Thursday 10 October, by shining a light on children’s eye health.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)’s global initiative – observed annually on the second Thursday of October – hopes this year’s campaign will help parents and carers better understand of the role eyecare plays in a child’s development, learning attainment and social interactions.
“We also hope that through the support of our Love Your Eyes Global Partners and membership network we can inspire millions of young people everywhere to take care of their eyes,” said Mr Peter Holland, IAPB CEO.
Eight Australian-based IAPB member organisations are marking World Sight Day 2024. These include The Fred Hollows Foundation, Vision 2020 Australia, RANZCO, Sight For All, Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations, Centre for Eye Research Australia, the Australian College of Optometry and the Brien Holden Foundation.
On its website, Sight For All said the World Sight Day theme aligned with its paediatric projects supporting vision for children at risk of blindness in lower & middle-income countries like Cambodia.
“Children like little Sovan, who with our support, was treated for his glaucoma, and his vision was saved,” the organisation said.
Funds from this year’s World Sight Day will help Sight For All this work. As such, the organisation’s sponsors will double donation until a $100,000 target is reached.
Other World Sight Day activities
Meanwhile, the IAPB said to further build engagement and awareness, it has introduced a mascot to the campaign called Artie.
“Artie, as the face of the World Sight Day campaign, is the physical representation of the Love Your Eyes heart and brings a fun, youthful element to the campaign,” the body stated.
“In addition to Artie, a suite of eye health activities pages and learning materials designed for children of all ages are available here.”
The Glasses of the Future Competition, another new element to the campaign, invites children to colour and invent the next generation of glasses. The competition calls for entries from around the world and will close on World Sight Day.
Mr Simon Darvill, director of communications, campaigns and events for IAPB said: “We introduced Artie and The Glasses of the Future Competition as fun ways to inspire children to look away from the screen and learn healthy habits that will protect their eyes for a long time.
“Our hope is that everyone with an interest in helping children see will adopt Artie in a way that supports their awareness and campaigning efforts. We would also love for businesses to invite the children that come through their waiting rooms to enter the competition and create some cool glasses.”
Downloads
- World Sight Day 2024 Posters and Children’s Activity Kit
- World Sight Day 2024 Social Media resource kit
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