This post was most recently updated on August 7th, 2019
If you didn’t have the resources to see clearly, how would that impact your life?
It’s not a question most of us ask in a typical day – we are fortunate to have access to quality eye care and the means to correct any visual impairments we might have. But for much of the world’s poorest citizens, clear vision is a luxury not afforded, and it impacts every part of their lives. It can be a barrier to reading and learning, and also to working. It can make productivity in almost any task seem daunting or impossible.
Yesterday was World Sight Day – a day to recognize the need and advocate for vision care and the prevention of blindness. The World Health Organization describes the day here: ‘World Sight Day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is also the main advocacy event for the prevention of blindness and for ‘Vision 2020: The Right to Sight‘, a global effort to prevent blindness created by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.”
Cathy Ives, a leader and blogger within the optical industry, wrote this informative and compassionate post about World Sight Day and the impact of vision impairment on families, communities and even economies.
So the day may have come and gone but the problem persists. Are you asking yourself “What can I do to help?” Excellent question! Here are some ideas:
Donate your old eyeglasses. Most optical stores should accept your old eyeglass donations. We give your donated eyeglasses to the Lion’s Club, who sends teams of optometrists and opticians into impoverished communities to conduct vision screenings. Your old glasses get spiffed up and used to correct someone’s eyesight!
Donate time or money to Stout Street Eye Clinic. As part of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the Stout Street Clinic lists a variety of ways in which you can offer time, spirit and resources to serving Denver’s homeless population.
Together we’re capable of solving and conquering so much. Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Optique of Denver