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Please click here to download the World Sight Day 2011 Media Release (RTF, 800KB)

Globally, approximately 285 million people are blind or vision impaired - 80 per cent of these people needlessly so. Thursday 13 October 2011 is World Sight Day, an international day of awareness focusing on the global issue of blindness and vision loss.

Since 2000, Vision 2020 Australia, in partnership with government has made significant inroads towards achieving its goal of eliminating avoidable blindness and reducing the impact of vision loss by 2020. Over the next nine years, Vision 2020 Australia will continue to make sure that eye health and vision care remains high on the health and disability agendas of governments in Australia and abroad - ensuring that Australia fulfils its commitments under World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions and the WHA Action Plan for the Prevention of Avoidable Blindness and Visual Impairment.

The Vision Initiative forms part of the Victorian Government’s public health response to the National Framework for Action to Promote Eye Health and Prevent Avoidable Blindness and Vision Loss. Vision 2020 Australia commends the government on its continued support of the program, which is a core element of a statewide prevention system. The Vision Initiative aims to communicate the importance of regular eye tests to the public, improve understanding and awareness of health professionals about eye health and vision issues and ensure a platform of collaboration and sustainable partnerships between eye health and vision care providers, government and other organisations.

Locally, eye health is a critical issue for Victoria’s ageing population. In 2009 vision loss affected almost six per cent of Victorians aged over 40 and 11 per cent of these people were blind. By 2020, without appropriate prevention and early intervention, it is projected that over 200,000 Victorians over 40 will experience vision loss, of which almost 30,000 of them will be blind. Research has demonstrated that people with vision impairment are twice as likely to have falls, three times as likely to suffer from depression and admitted to high-level aged care facilities three years earlier than the rest of the population.

The most pressing inequalities in Victoria are those experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people living in rural areas and others who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Alarmingly, blindness is over six times higher and vision impairment almost three times higher for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population compared to the general community.

The risk of getting serious eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma increases dramatically if there is a family history of the disease. If you have a blood relative with glaucoma, you are four times more likely to develop the disease than the rest of the population. Only 50 per cent of people with glaucoma are aware that they have the disease, which results in permanent damage to the optic nerve. Damage to the eye progresses very slowly and sight is lost gradually, starting with the peripheral vision. People with glaucoma seldom notice these blind areas until considerable damage has occurred, resulting insubsequent vision loss and blindness.

The message on World Sight Day is to encourage Victorians to talk about eye health with their parents and grandparents. Having all the facts is a powerful tool when it comes to tackling vision loss. Once glaucoma is diagnosed, for example, it can be managed with various treatment options. It really is as simple as telling people to ‘Save your Sight - get tested’.

Talking Vision Interview

Janine Coffin discusses World Sight Day on Talking Vision - Download Podcast (MP3, 1MB)

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