World Sight Day...A Discussion

World Sight Day is an international day of awareness observed every second Thursday of October every year since 2007. The campaign is spearheaded by the people behind Vision 2020 which is a global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness

Objective:

Vision 2020 members set up World Sight Day to:

• Increase awareness among the general public about blindness and vision impairment as a major public health issue.
• Urge government leaders, especially the health ministers, to allocate funds and be active in promoting national blindness prevention programs.
• Inform target audience about blindness prevention and Vision 2020’s objectives and programs.

History:

2007

World Sight Day 2007 focused on blindness and childhood and carried the slogan “Vision for Children.” From the said slogan, member organizations were expected to add their own specific catchphrases in promoting the event in their respective areas. Events were organized independently by organizers in more than 50 countries. Activities included eye screening camps, seminars and trainings, press conferences, and fund-raising walks and marathons among others.

2008

World Sight Day 2008’s efforts centered on spreading awareness about the ageing eye and vision impairment among older people. The headline, “Eyes of The Future – Fighting vision impairment in later life,” recognized the fact that more and more people become blind as complications of chronic illnesses due to old age. Close to 50 countries commemorated the event with activities such as fund-raising activities and free consultations and eye surgeries.

2009

For 2009, World Sight Day organizers focused on campaigning for equal access to eye care regardless of gender with the theme “Gender and Eye Health – equal access to care.” This is in response to the fact that men have twice as many opportunities to eye care compared to women in many areas around the globe. Aside from the usual events held annually, World Sight Day 2009 objectives and activities were featured in newspapers, websites, radio stations, and television channels worldwide.

2010

World Sight Day 2010 stresses Vision 2020’s ultimate goal with the theme “Countdown to 2020.” By the year 2020, Vision 2020 expects to see considerable progress in terms of preventing avoidable blindness. Highlights of the year’s celebration include:

• The “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight” video.
• An exhibition at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters.
• State of the World’s Sight report about the first 10 years of Vision 2020.

Right to Sight Video is up next..Keep an eye on the blog..

P.S.: Information shared here are all collected from wikihealth.

Why Multifocals...

United Nations (UN) data suggests that for the century from 1950 to 2050, life expectancy worldwide is projected to increase from 44 to 77 year as a result of which there will be an increase of 200 percent of new presbyopes every 40 years..
Thus a huge potential market which will remain untapped if we do not concentrate on our multifocal contact lens practice..
Presbyopes once satisfied with contact lenses can be a huge source of referrals for your practice owing to the following reasons:

1.Positive comments about the change (from spectacles to CLs when the patients is new to CLs) noticed by      family and friends. 

2.The absence of bifocal spectacles and their ‘tell-tale’ near segments makes determination of the wearer’s    age-group less certain

3.Improved posture.  No head tilt to position spectacle near segments advantageously

4. Elimination of spectacle pressure points (bearing areas) from nose pads/bridges and temples (sides)

5. Some patients may exude greater confidence as they can have a wider field of vision and active lifestyle due     to contact lens wear.

Contact lenses might not always necessarily be a replacement for spectacles but can often be prescribes as an add on based on the visual demand and life style of the patient ,which will further enhance the bucket size and A.S.P of your practice.

Bifocal contact lenses are not used in modern times and have been replaced by multifocals which uses one of the below mentioned designs based on the make and the Brand.:

Concentric (image 1)

Aspheric (image 2)

Diffractive (image 3)

Keep an eye on the blog for the detail description of the designs..till then Happy Dispensing and Live Brightly

Contact Lenses-Care Regime

Check out this video..When teaching our patients on how to take care of their contact lenses we usually miss out on the contact lens case..the home for the contacts..A dirty home can cause sickness similarly a dirty case can cause contact lens complications..Please do advice your patients accordingly..clean cases=happy lenses=happy lens wear and experience..
Happy Dispensing..