World Sight Day
Humans have five sensory organs for seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling & touching. The eyes are the most important sense organs of our body. The moment you wake up, your eyes are at work to see and make sense of the world around you. It is believed that we perceive 80% of the impressions by means of our eyes. Eyes also contribute to your balance.
What is World Sight Day?
World Sight Day is observed every year on the second Thursday of October. This day is also referred to as “World Vision Day” or “World Eye Day.” World Sight Day will be observed on October 13 this year. It is a worldwide celebration intended to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment while awaring everyone to consider the significance of their own eye health and take extra care of it in order to prevent any damage to their sight at first only before leading to blindness or vision problems.
History of World Sight Day
In 1916, William Perry Woods formed a group known as the Lions Clubs International, which served as the catalyst for the creation of this day. Numerous initiatives have been orchestrated by Lions Clubs International in different parts of the world. The well-recognized initiative undertaken by Lion Clubs International was the ‘SightFirst’ campaign. This program, launched in 1990, aims to fight trachoma-related blindness and other causes of blindness. For the initial World Sight Day in 1998, Lions Clubs International collaborated with groups dedicated to presenting information about blindness. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (I.A.P.B.) and Lions Clubs International declared the second Thursday of October to be honored as World Sight Day during the “SightFirst” campaign in 2000. The day was also a step in the development of the World Health Organization’s “Vision 2020” campaign.
Significance of World Sight Day
Eye health has an impact on a variety of sustainability goals, including education, employment, quality of life, and poverty. Therefore, the condition of your eyesight should not be treated lightly since ignoring it might have negative consequences for the future that could affect your life forever and cause some serious issues for you. It is best to take preventive action in this regard. One of nature’s greatest gifts to us is the ability to see, thus we should constantly take care of them.
Theme of World Sight Day 2022
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) said that it will expand on the success of last year’s campaign, which saw over 3.5 million pledges to prioritize eye health, by continuing the theme of #LoveYourEyes for World Sight Day in 2022.
How to Celebrate World Sight Day 2022?
You can also be a part of this incredibly important mission by involving in the activities below.
Spread Awareness
You can spread awareness by posting on various social media platforms regarding the importance of eyes and eye care. You can also spread awareness through rallies and debates to have regular eye checkups.
Hold a Donation Day
You can host a donation campaign where people pledge to donate their eyes after death. This gives vision to the blind to see the beauty of mother earth.
Provide Free Eye checkups and Treatments
You can host free eye checkups and treatment campaigns. The treatment campaigns can include free treatments for various eye problems like cataracts, refractive errors, etc.
Tips for Eye Care
Never take your eyes for granted. There are people around the world who don’t have the pleasure of seeing and observing the beauty around them. Here are a few tips for caring for your eyes.
Eat Well
Eat healthy nutritious food rich in vitamins and minerals. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your meals, especially green leafy vegetables like Spinach, Kale etc.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight can lead to diabetes which puts you at risk of developing eye problems like diabetic retinopathy.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps prevent various health-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure which causes eye-related problems. Regular exercise and yoga can prevent these diseases.
Wear Sunglasses
Sunglasses can protect you from the UV rays of the sun that damage the eyes and boost the chances of cataracts and macular degeneration. Use sunglasses that protect your eyes from both UV-A and UV-B radiations.
Wear Safety Eyewear
To protect your eyes from various eye injuries or infections while driving, working in jobs like repair projects, chemical factories and construction wear protective eyeglasses. Various sports such as ice hockey, racquetball, and lacrosse can also lead to an eye injury. Protect your eyes by wearing protective eye gear.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking can harm the optic nerve and raises the chance of developing age-related eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
Give your Eyes some rest
If you spend a lot of time working on a computer or using your smartphone, you forget to blink your eyes which causes eye strain. To avoid this, use the 20-20-20 rule that says every 20 minutes, look away 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
Visit your Eye Doctor Regularly
Even young and old need to have regular eye checkups. It enables you to see clearly and aids in eye protection.
Exercise for Healthy Eyesight
Eye exercises are the need of the hour. These exercises are intended to help you concentrate, improve eye movement, and develop your eye muscles as well as to improve your brain’s visual system. Here are some exercises you can perform to strengthen your eye muscles and prevent eye problems.
Move your eyeballs from left-right for some time and then up to down without moving your head. After that, roll your eyeballs for some time without moving your head, this stretches the eye muscles.
Maintain a comfortable posture when you sit on a chair with a straight back. Bring a pen at eye level, close one eye, and concentrate on the tip. Move the pen in and out of its range. Do the same with the opposite eye next. On each eye, repeat the process five times. Your eye muscles and attention abilities will improve after doing this workout.
Two persons must stand across from one another to complete this practice. Grab a medium-sized ball, fling it towards your opponent, and as soon as they grab it, look away and blink at the ball. Blink once more when the individual returns the ball to you. This exercise increases flexibility by strengthening the eye muscles.
For around 30 seconds, cup your palms gently over your closed eyes until the afterimages fade. Avoid applying any pressure on your eyes.
