Doha: The Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) are joining the international community to observe World Sight Day 2021 to focus attention on global eye health issues and to encourage the public to go for sight tests, exams and screening for early detection of preventable eye defects.
World Sight Day (WSD), coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of eye health. This year WSD falls today under the theme: ‘Love Your Eyes’ with a call to action being: ‘Everyone Counts.’
Dr. Kholoud Al Mutawa, head of the non-communicable diseases section at the Ministry, said: “The MoPH, in collaboration with HMC, has launched an awareness campaign as part of celebrating World Sight Day with the aim of raising awareness on the importance of taking care of the eye health for all age groups. The campaign includes dissemination of awareness messages and educational advice related to promoting eye health and how to prevent various diseases that may affect all age groups, in addition to emphasizing the need to visit ophthalmologists for early screening to detect any disease that may impair vision in the future.”
Dr. Deena Shafwan Zeedan, Consultant Oculofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeries, Ophthalmology Department, HMC, said that the theme for this year, ‘Love Your Eyes’ is important as our eyes are working hard during the pandemic.
"Most important, getting an eye test to identify eye conditions such as glaucoma before they have an effect on your sight. The earlier an eye condition is identified, the easier it is to treat,” Dr. Zeedan notes.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness says short-sightedness is on the rise across the world with half the world’s population projected to be short-sighted by 2050. “Vision impairment affects people of all ages, with the majority being over the age of 50. Vision impairment and blindness can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services,” Dr. Zeedan said.
According to Dr. Zeedan, unoperated cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the leading causes of vision impairment. “Other causes such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, infectious diseases of the eye, and trauma, however, cannot be ignored and need to be addressed. These leading causes of vision should be taken seriously, which is why everyone has to make sure they get their eyes checked at least once a year. In addition, poor eye health leads to an increased risk of mortality.
"Children with a vision impairment are up to 5 times less likely to be in formal education and often achieve poorer outcomes,” she added.
