World Sight Day, on the 8th October 2026, is a global awareness day to focus attention on vision impairment, including blindness.

Globally, at least 1 billion people have vision impairment that could be prevented or has yet to be addressed. Vision impairment affects people of all ages, with the majority being over the age of 50. Vision impairment and blindness can have major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities, and the ability to access public services.

Unoperated cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the leading causes of vision impairment. Other causes such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, infectious diseases of the eye, and trauma, however, cannot be ignored and need to be addressed.

What action can you take? Firstly prioritise your own eye care. As well as identifying problems early, regular eye examinations improve general understanding about eyes and vision. Talk to family members and check they are also having routine eye checks from age 40 onwards.