Essay on “World Sight Day – October 12” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

World Sight Day – October 12

World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness held on October 12th , to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. WSD is co-ordinated by International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), as part of the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative.

World Sight Day 2007 focuses on Blindness and Childhood. The headline VISION for children encompasses the work of a wide range of VISION 2020 member organizations, as it has its impact on the lives of children in various ways.

Member organizations are encouraged to append their own specific message to this headline. Examples might include:

“Our VISION for children is to grow up with healthy eyes”

“Our VISION for children is for every child to be able to go to school”

“Our VISION for children is that their grandparents can watch them grow

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight

The Right to Sight is a global joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the IAPB, with its international coalition of

Non-Governmental Organizations, professional associations, eye care institutions and corporations. VISION 2020 aims to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide by the year 2020, in order to give everyone in the world the Right to Sight.

It aims to eliminate the major causes of blindness by bringing together governments and non-governmental agencies to facilitate the development, planning and implementation of sustainable national eye care programs

The target disease areas for VISION 2020 are the five major causes of avoidable blindness:

• Cataract
• Trachoma
• Onchocerciasis
• Childhood Blindness
• Refractive Error
• Low Vision

Eighty percent of all cases of blindness can be prevented or treated; the right to sight can and must be fulfilled.

An estimated 180 million people world-wide are visually disabled. Of those, between 40 and 45 million persons are blind. Due to growing population and ageing, these numbers are expected to double by the year 2020 making a colossal human tragedy even worse, stalling development and denying a basic human right. World Sight Day is an annual event focusing on the problem of global blindness; it aims to raise public awareness around the world about the prevention and treatment of loss of vision. The event, taking place every year on 12th October will draw attention to the right to sight. The day will focus on governments’ pledges to ensure increased access to health services in relation to both prevention and treatment of eye conditions. Providing access to eye care, which reduces the magnitude of avoidable blindness, is part of the obligation under the .right to the highest attainable standard of health.

Up to 80% of cases of blindness are avoidable, either resulting from preventable conditions (20%) or being treatable (60%) so that sight is restored. Prevention and treatment of vision loss are among the most cost-effective and successful of all health interventions. These interventions include: cataract surgery to cure this eye disease related to ageing; prevention of trachoma; immunization against measles; provision of vitamin A supplements, for the prevention of childhood blindness; and provision of eyeglasses.

Every five seconds one person in the world goes blind. One child goes blind every minute. It is estimated that over seven million people become blind every year.

World Sight Day World Sight Day is an annual event that focuses attention on the global problem of blindness and visual impairment. It aims to raise public awareness around the world about blindness and visual impairment, and to garner support and commitment in ensuring the right to sight for all.

The theme of this year’s event, low vision and refractive error, draws attention to the hundreds of millions of people who are functionally blind simply because they need spectacles. Refractive error can be simply diagnosed, measured and corrected; yet, many people in low and middle-income countries do not have access to these basic services.

The World Health Organization is working with its partners to provide affordable optical correction to people in need; especially those in poor areas with limited eye care services.

On World Sight Day, VISION 2020 members work together to:

• Raise public awareness of blindness as a major global public health issue
• Raise public and professional awareness of low vision and/or refractive error as public health issues, and of the fact that people with these conditions can be helped by low vision devices and services, eye examinations and spectacles
• Influence Governments/Ministers of Health in developing countries to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programmes
• Educate target audiences about blindness prevention, about VISION 2020 and its activities,, and
• Generate support for the programme activities of member organizations

International Key Messages

• 37 million people are blind and 124 million have low vision
• 75% of blindness is avoidable — either by prevention or treatment The humanitarian issue — 100 million men, women and children will be saved from going blind, and from the poverty and social exclusion blindness can bring, by the successful implementation of VISION 2020
• The economic factor — USS22,3 billion (estimate) will be saved by a successful VISION 2020 On World Sight Day organizations worldwide work together to raise awareness of the global movement for the elimination of avoidable blindness

Helping People See Better

World Sight Day is all about people: Low vision and refractive services change people’s lives, by helping them to see better, enabling them to learn better, work better and play better. The services can offer guidance, training and devices, from spectacles to magnifiers to CCTV systems that help people to access things that fully sighted people take for granted.

The inability to see clearly can dramatically impact on quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Overall, the economic cost of lost productivity due to visual impairment has been estimated at$42 billion per year. Thanks to global VISION 2020 initiatives, a primary level district low vision service in a developing country can be equipped for as little as $100. Yet, for millions of people, even a simple eye examination remains out of reach.

The successful implementation of VISION 2020 requires collaboration and commitment, to build integrated and sustainable eye care and rehabilitation systems worldwide, to give everyone in the world The Right to Sight.

The VISION 2020 strategies, as set out in the Government Tool Kit are:

• To create awareness and demand for refractive services through community-based services/primary eye care and school screening.
• To develop accessible refractive services for individuals identified with significant refractive errors. This will require training in refraction and dispensing for paramedical eye workers if ophthalmologists and/or refractionists are not available in sufficient number.
• To ensure that optical services provide affordable spectacles for individuals with significant refractive errors.
• To develop and make available low vision services and optical devices for all those in need, including children in blind-school or integrated education. Certain low vision devices can be manufactured locally, or purchased externally in bulk supplies to reduce costs.
• To include the provision of comprehensive low vision care as an integral part of national programmes for the prevention of blindness, or rehabilitative services for the visually disabled.

National Programme for Control of Blindness

It is estimated that there are about 45 million blind persons in the world and more than 2/3^rd  of this blind population lives in Asia and Africa. There are about 70 lakhs blind alone in India. Every year

 approximately 20 lakhs new blind cases are added. According to WHO estimates, this blind population will double by 2020, due to  rise in population and longevity.

In India, the major causes of blindness as per National Survey 99 are: –

Cataract                                  –                  in 55% cases.

Refractive errors                   –                  19%.

Glaucoma                               –                  4%.

Corneal pathology                –                  7%.

Others                                     –                  15%.

Prevalence of blindness

Prevalence of blindness is high among poor, un-educated, females and people living in rural and backward areas.

There are about 2,70,000 blind children in India. 5% of the children below 15 years need glasses. As per WHO, the childhood blindness is defined as refractive error of 6/9. The commonest cause of visual impairment in children is refractive error. Other causes being:-

• Corneal scarring.
• Congenital cataract.
• Retinopathy- resultant of premature Birth
• Eye injuries.
• Deficiency diseases.

The National Programme for Control of Blindness was launched in 1976-77. The incidence of blindness in Haryana is 1.13% as against the National average of 1.49%. Now the Govt. of India has set a target to reduce the prevalence rate of Blindness to  0.5%  by 2010 laying more emphasis on reducing childhood blindness and corneal transplantation by promoting the establishment of eye banks.

Definition of Blindness

• As per guidelines of the Govt. of India; Blindness is defined as:
• Vision of 6/60, or less with best possible spectacle correction
• Or diminution of field of vision to 20 or less in better eye
• Or one Eye having vision of 6/60 or less with best possible spectacle correction and the other eye has vision field of 20 or less.

Programme Objectives

• To bring down the prevalence of blindness to 0.5 % by
• Create community awareness regarding prevention of Eye ‘diseases.
• Perform Cataract surgery — with more emphasis on IOL implantation (80% of the total).
• Greater involvement of NGOs in screening of blind and organizing eye camps in the area specifically allotted for the activities to avoid overlapping.

Precaution

1. Consult Eye Surgeon immediately when parents / Teachers find the following symptoms in children-

(a) Frequent blinking of eyes

(b) Watching Television very near to it.

(c) Very poor hand writing

(d) Frequent complaint or pain in eyes.

(e) When teacher complains of lack of concentration, slow writing and understanding.

2. Adult/ Old age people:

Ensure Periodical Check up by Eye Surgeon for defective vision.

3. Other usual preventive measures for healthy eyes: –

(i) Children should be strictly advised not to play with sharp and pointed objects.

(ii) Discourage the children not to play with pistols in which small solid plastic ball or any other object is used as it causes fatal injuries to eyes.

(iii) Discourage the children not to play with the arrows and bows

(iv) Explode firecrackers cautiously during the festival seasons.

(v) Exercise adequate caution while working in chemical lab.

(vi) Preventive measures while working in welding and in cutting tool industries.