World Sight Day
Next: October 14, 2027
Look after your eyes.
The story
Where it comes from
World Sight Day began on 8 October 1998, when Lions Clubs International and blindness-prevention groups held events in cities on six continents. In 2000 the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) took it up under VISION 2020, its global initiative with the World Health Organization, and it is now held on the second Thursday of October. Its message is that much sight loss can be prevented or treated, if eye care is available and affordable to everyone.
How it's celebrated
Since 2021 the campaign has been called 'Love Your Eyes'. Clinics and volunteers offer eye screenings, eye care is taken into schools and workplaces, and millions of people have pledged to look after their eyes. The simplest way to join is to book an eye test, for yourself or for a parent who has been putting it off.
Did you know
- At least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment, and in at least 1 billion cases it could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
- WHO notes that spending more time outdoors can lower the risk of becoming short-sighted.
- Singapore has screened young children under a national myopia prevention programme since 2001, and the share of Primary 1 pupils with myopia has fallen to about 26 per cent.
Coming up next
- Global Handwashing Day · October 15, 2027
- World Food Day · October 16, 2027
- International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage · October 17, 2027
- World Menopause Day · October 18, 2027
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar's Birthday · October 19, 2027
- Vietnamese Women's Day · October 20, 2027