World Sight Day

Join us on Thursday 8 October 2026 to celebrate the importance of eye health. Learn how access to eye care changes lives, and how you can help.

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Watch our eye health video (2 minutes)

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You could change someone’s life today

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World Sight Day is an annual event to highlight the importance of eye care and raise awareness of avoidable blindness and vision impairment around the world.

Globally, at least one billion people have a visual impairment that is unaddressed or could have been prevented.

The burden of vision impairment is not distributed equally. Women and girls account for 55 per cent of people with visual impairment, and more than 90 per cent of people who are blind live in low and middle income countries.

Change is possible. Every year, Sightsavers supports millions of people to access quality eye care, preventing avoidable blindness, restoring sight and strengthening health systems for the future. This helps reduce inequality, and creates opportunities for children and adults to reach their potential.

Addressing the challenges of vision impairment and eye care improves people’s lives and health outcomes, boosts learning outcomes and enhances employment opportunities. It also contributes to more productive societies and supports progress towards universal health coverage.

Dinah smiles in her school uniform.

A glimpse of our eye health work in Kenya

Watch our documentary series ‘Viewpoints’ to see the impact of accessible services through the eyes of programme participants.

View latest episodes

How we protect sight around the world

An eye surgeon wearing medical scrubs prepares medication during an operation.

We train eye surgeons

Our work relies on thousands of skilled staff. Since 1950, we’ve trained more than 8,900 people including ophthalmic nurses and surgeons.
A guide to eye health roles

Community drug distributor Amina holds a dose pole, paperwork and medication.

We distribute medicine

Local volunteers are trained to check people’s symptoms, distribute preventative medication and refer patients for further treatment.
How we distribute medication

Three men stand outside a hospital entrance.

We improve healthcare

Sightsavers works with governments and partners to improve local health services, ensuring everyone can get health care when they need it.
How we support healthcare

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Why eye health matters

When someone loses their sight, it affects every aspect of their life.

For a child such as Luyando, sight loss can mean missing out on an education, while taking early intervention to correct a child’s vision can boost their lifetime earnings by 78 per cent. For an adult, sight loss can mean losing their independence and income, too.

On World Sight Day, we are highlighting the importance of eye health and promoting the need for everyone to have equal access to eye care.

At Sightsavers, we want everybody to be able to get eye treatment when they need it. A pair of glasses or an operation to remove cataracts can transform people’s lives.

Ivania, a girl from Mozambique, holds her red glasses in front of her eyes.

I’d like to get involved…

Hosman, wearing his new glasses, stares into the distance.
I felt relieved when I found out I could get glasses.
Hosman, school pupil in Mozambique
Hosman, wearing his new glasses, stares into the distance.

Your gift could make a difference

I would like to make a donation

In a year, your monthly donation could screen two classrooms of children for a range of eye conditions.

In a year, your monthly donation could provide 24 pairs of glasses to help improve someone's sight.

In a year, your monthly donation could restore the sight of a child with cataracts, giving them the chance of an education.

£
We're sorry, but the minimum donation we can take is £2
We're sorry, but we cannot process a donation of this size online. Please contact us on [email protected] for assistance donating over £10,000

Your donation could provide a short course in primary eye care for a health worker.

Your donation could provide 10 pairs of glasses to help improve someone's sight.

Your donation could screen three classrooms of children for a range of eye conditions.

£
We're sorry, but the minimum donation we can take is £2
We're sorry, but we cannot process a donation of this size online. Please contact us on [email protected] for assistance donating over £10,000