VISION 2020 : The right to sight is a global joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), with an international coalition of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), professional associations, eye care institutions and corporations.
Launched in 1999, it aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. VISION 2020 programmes have been adopted in more than 40 countries, and India is one of the associate, as well as, beneficiary of this movement.
It is perhaps difficult to imagine that an estimated 180 milion people world wide are usually disabled. Of those, around 45 million persons are blind. Ninety percent of the world's blind people live in developing countries;there are more than 10 million (One crore)blind people in India, six millionin China and seven million Africa. People who live in people in highly indrustralized countries.The causes of avoidable blindness are frequently associted with poverty and lack of access to quality eye care services. It is estimated that over seven million people become blind every year.
The annual World Sight Day provides an opportunity to become more aware and more committed to ensuring the right to sight for all. Held on the second Thursday to October every year, World Sight Dayaims to raise awareness that 80 percent of blindness could be prevented or cured. Some of the interventions include : cataract surhgry, prevention of trachoma ; immunization against measles; provision of vitamin A supplementsfor the prevention of childhood blindness; and provision of eyeglasses.
The Institute of Optical Advancement realizes the significance of his event and has been playing a proactive role by organising Eye check up Camps, involving prominent Eye Hospitals, Opthalmologist, Optometrist and Opticians for past three years. In the veryfirst camp 272 patients registerd, while 668patients registered in the subsequent year 2007. This year the number of patients is expected to be still higher. One of the prominent feature of these camps is the vision screening of the school children and that of public vehicle drivers. The Institute appeals and invites its readers to join hands in this global mission, by organising a free vision check up , on this day every year.
