Every year, the second Thursday of October is the World Sight Day which this year coincided with 14 October. At this evening, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) focus annually on the problem of visual disability.
#LoveYourEyes has been the label of this year’s campaign that IAPB launched with which one million people were to carry out an eye exam to remind them of the importance of periodic ophthalmological visits.
In Eyes of the world, in collaboration with the IAPB, we committed ourselves throughout whole month prior October 14 to assume 6,000 of the total eye exams in order to achieve the goal of one million. In addition, the Foundation has also organized workshops, talks, fairs and activities aimed at children in Mali, Bolivia, Sahara and Mozambique in order to be able to commemorate a day so important for our reason.
A good example is Eyes of Mali project, as they committed themselves to carry out good part of these 6,000 exams through free ophthalmological consultation days for internally displaced women and children due to armed conflicts in the districts of Bandiagara, Bankass, Koro, Mopti and Douentza. In total, about 725 people were attended between 338 adult men, 309 adult women, 45 boys and 33 girls aged 0 to 14.
On the other hand, surgery campaigns were also organized in the districts of Koro, Bandiagara and Djenné, where 132 people with cataracts, 61 men and 71 women, benefited from free surgical treatment performed with the assistance of the team from the Somine Dolo Hospital in Mopti and the CSRéf de Bankass.
In total, the goals set from the IAPB were exceeded, which tripled the amount of eye exams expected, totaling 3,697,310 people attended. In short, the World Sight Day’s campaign, which lasted a whole month, was a success that far exceeded expectations and stirred consciences around the world.