Bringing Hope in Sight – The Importance of Eye Health on World Sight Day

Friday, October 2 2020 | 15 h 28 min | News, Press Release

Each year, Calgary-based Operation Eyesight celebrates World Sight Day to bring awareness to the importance of making global eye health a priority. In 2020, World Sight Day takes place on October 8, with a theme of “Hope in Sight”.

This year, Operation Eyesight will be taking social media followers to visit their country offices, partner hospitals, board locations and corporate partners. Starting in India, participants will travel to Nepal, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, the U.K. and North America.

“This event will give people a unique opportunity to see over the course of one day how Operation Eyesight is preventing blindness and restoring sight for entire communities in need,” says Aly Bandali, President and CEO of Operation Eyesight.

Avoidable blindness is a global issue that has been made even worse by the strain COVID-19 has put on health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. To mitigate this strain in the countries where they work, in March of 2020, Operation Eyesight shifted priorities by applying the organization’s systems and experience in providing quality eye care to meet the immediate need, providing education and supplies that limited the spread of COVID-19 in these communities.

Operation Eyesight works with local partner hospitals and governments, bringing sustainable, quality care to both paying patients and to those who cannot afford to pay. Operation Eyesight-trained community health workers go door to door in vulnerable communities, screening people for vision problems, referring them for treatment, and educating them on eye health and general health. Operation Eyesight first launched its Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Model in India in 2009, and has since expanded it to Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia.

With support from donors in Canada and beyond, Operation Eyesight has restored sight and prevented blindness for millions of people.

Click HERE for the full press release.