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Written by the MPA DEI Team

Every October, World Blindness Awareness Month raises awareness about the blind and visually impaired community and their day-to-day lives of living with sight loss. This month is a time to shed light on the importance of eye health, the challenges of visual disabilities and the global efforts to combat preventable blindness.

One of the key highlights of this month is World Sight Day, celebrated on the second Thursday of October—this year, falling on 10 October. The theme for this year’s World Sight Day is Love Your Eyes, which focuses on children’s eye health and vision.

This year’s theme emphasises the importance of taking care of our eyes, particularly children’s eye health. As parents, teachers and caregivers, we play a pivotal role in safeguarding the vision of the next generation.

Why Love Your Eyes?
Children’s eyes are still developing, and good vision is essential for their learning, social development and overall well-being. Whether in the classroom, on the playground, or at home, children rely on their sight to explore the world around them. However, 1 in 4 children globally are estimated to have an undiagnosed vision problem, making it essential to raise awareness about early detection and prevention of childhood blindness and vision impairment.

Taking care of your children’s eye health does not need to be complicated but it requires some time and attention.

Here are some things you can do to ensure your child maintains healthy vision:

• Regular eye exams.
• Limit screen time or take breaks using the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes ask your child to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can ease eye strain and improve focus.
• Proper lighting for reading or studying can reduce eyestrain and fatigue.
• A balanced diet of foods rich in vitamins A, C, omega 3 and zinc can protect against conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

For children, eye health can be a defining factor in their development, education and quality of life. That is why this year’s World Sight Day campaign is placing a strong emphasis on children’s vision health and urging parents and caregivers to act.

Supporting someone with a Visual Impairment
In the UK, 1.5 – 2 million people are registered as blind. Visual impairment refers to an eye condition that cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses. The level of someone’s visual impairment can be dependent on external factors, such as lighting or the time of year.

Visual impairments can be unchanging or degenerative. It is not always apparent that someone has a visual impairment.

People with visual impairments will usually know the type of support they require, whether that’s assistive technology, different lighting or enlarged formats. When working with someone with a visual impairment, especially in meetings or collaborating on projects, some simple things that can help, include:

• Introducing yourself or others when someone enters the room or joins the call.
• Keeping everyone informed of tasks.
• Summarising each slide during a presentation.
• Avoiding nonverbal communication.
• Sending documents in advance of a meeting where possible.
• Providing accessible documents in a format that the person requires.

World Blindness Awareness Month is a reminder that vision is a precious gift, and we should look after and protect it. By focusing on children’s eye health and care, we are raising awareness to help support the 450 million children who require treatment but are unable to access it affordably.

Additionally, it ensures that young people have all the information they need to protect their eyes and, crucially, take the steps needed to look after their vision.

Healthy vision begins with awareness, early detection and a proactive approach. Let us ensure that every child has the opportunity to see the world clearly and live life to their fullest potential.

Resources

World Sight Day – International Agency of the Prevention of Blindness (iapb.world)
RNIB | Homepage of the Royal National Institute of Blind People
Thomas Pocklington Trust
World Sight Day 2024 | Sightsavers
Welcome to the Royal Society for Blind Children (rsbc.org.uk)

For more information or to join our AccessAbility Employee Network, please contact:

Helen Choudhury
Head of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
[email protected]

Mandy Feighery
D & I Officer
[email protected]