World Sight Day

On 9 October, Sightsavers will celebrate the importance of sight. Last year, we highlighted how inclusive eye care can transform people’s lives with our #EyeCreation challenge.

A collage of many creative images of eyes, made from different materials including people, drawings and objects.

You can change someone’s life today

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World Sight Day is an annual event to raise awareness of blindness and the importance of eye care.

World Sight Day takes place on the second Thursday in October, and this year it will take place on Thursday 9 October. It’s organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Health Organization. Last year’s World Sight Day fell on Thursday 10 October.

How we celebrated World Sight Day in 2024

Access to eye care changes people’s lives and this year, we talked about the importance of inclusive eye health.

In 2023, our #EyeCreation challenge was so successful that we invited people to take part again. But in 2024, we went bigger and collaborated with people who support and work with us, as well as the people who know first-hand the impact that losing sight can have. We invited you to make an #EyeCreation using yourself, friends, family or colleagues, or anything you had to hand. Thank you for joining us and making a difference!

#EyeCreation: how people got involved on social media

1. Create an eye shape with your friends, family or yourself. You can also use objects. The more eye-catching it is, the better!

2. Be creative and use your imagination: check out our gallery below for some inspiration. And don’t forget to take a photo.

3. Share your photo using the hashtag #EyeCreation. Tell us why eye health matters to you and don’t forget to tag @Sightsavers.

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Two male staff from Sightsavers Pakistan link arms to form the shape of an eye. Another male staff member crouches between them to represent the eye's pupil.

Nina smiles while holding her hands in front of her face. An eye is drawn on the back of each hand.

A large group of staff from Sightsavers Pakistan form the shape of eye using a yellow ribbon. A smaller group of staff stand in a circle to form the shape of a pupil. Everyone is waving.

A large group of people stand to form the outline of an eye. A smaller group stands in a circle to form the shape of a pupil, containing a few people in a circle to represent an iris.

Three young girls from Nigeria form the shape of an eye. Two of them form a bridge by linking hands above a girl standing between them.

Multiple pairs of glasses and contact lenses laid out in an eye shape.

Two Kenyan eye health workers link arms to form the shape of an eye while wearing medical scrubs. A woman who has had an eye operation stands between them. Her right is eye covered with a bandage.

Swimming in open water, Isobel holds her arms above her head to make the shape of an eye. Her head represents the pupil.

Alyssa and Rachel link arms to form the shape of an eye. Anya crouches between them to represent the eye's pupil.

How we protect sight around the world

We train eye surgeons

Our work relies on thousands of skilled staff. Since 1950, we’ve trained more than 8,200 people including ophthalmic nurses and cataract surgeons.
A guide to eye health roles

A community volunteer measures a woman using a dose pole to determine how much medication she needs. Another volunteer takes notes and records information.

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 health care

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

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Why eye health matters

Globally, 1.1 billion people have an untreated or preventable visual impairment. That’s an eighth of the world’s population – almost as many people as in Europe and the USA combined.

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 and the opportunity to play with friends. For an adult, it can mean losing their independence and income.

World Sight Day highlights the importance of eye health and promotes the need for everyone to have equal access to eye care. The 2024 event focused on the importance of eye care for children and young people.

Read our World Sight Day blog on the importance of eye care for children.

“It was a happy moment for me. I realised that I could now see. I was able to see the world.”

Dorothy sits with her daughter and grandchild outside their home in Malawi, before she had an operation to save her sight.

Dorothy (right), pictured with her daughter and grandchild

Change lives today

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Naomi receives an application of ointment for her eyes to treat her trachoma infection.

£20

could treat or protect 111 people against trachoma.

A queue of school children in uniform line up to receive an eye examination.

£40

could screen 40 schoolchildren for a range of eye conditions.

A close-up of Patience wearing glasses and a face mask.

£100

could provide 25 pairs of glasses.

could treat or protect 111 people against trachoma.

could screen 40 schoolchildren for a range of eye conditions.

could provide 25 pairs of glasses.

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We protect sight, fight disease and make sure everyone can claim their rights.

Find out how your support can make a huge difference and change lives.

World Sight Day

On 9 October, Sightsavers will celebrate the importance of sight. Last year, we highlighted how inclusive eye care can transform people’s lives with our #EyeCreation challenge.

You can change someone’s life today

#EyeCreation: how people got involved on social media