This year World Sight Day (WSD) takes place on Thursday 10 October and we are pleased to announce that the theme is: Universal Eye Health.
Established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2000, WSD is the main advocacy event to raise awareness about avoidable blindness and for VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, a global effort to prevent avoidable blindness created by the WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
It is estimated that in Australia, 75 per cent of blindness and vision loss is preventable or treatable. Saving your sight could be as simple as getting that eye test!
Vision 2020 Australia is undertaking a number of exciting activities this year to celebrate World Sight Day and raise awareness about avoidable blindness.
Don’t forget to visit the World Sight Day hub at www.worldsightday.org.au to download your World Sight Day resource kit. Materials for your use include:
- WSD Australia 2013 poster
- Email signature block
- Word template
- ‘What you can do’ guide
- ‘Get Your Eyes Tested’ sign
- Twibbon (coming soon)
- WSD key messages
- WSD fact sheets
- Media resource sheets
- Approved quotes
- Media backgrounder
World Sight Day Champions for 2013
A number of federal parliamentarians have agreed to lend their support as World Sight Day Champions. As part of their role, our champions will be promoting the ‘Universal Eye Health’ message and generating awareness of the far reaching consequences of blindness and vision impairment. They will achieve this through participating in media opportunities, promotion via their websites and raising awareness through social media channels.
- Dr Andrew Laming MP
- The Hon Teresa Gambaro MP
- Ms Amanda Rishworth MP
- Senator the Hon Ursula Stephens
- The Hon David Davis MLC
- Senator Arthur Sinodinos AO
- Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion
- Senator the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite
- Senator Mitch Fifield
- Ms Georgie Crozier MLC
- Mr Darren Chester MP
- Senator Rachel Siewert
- Senator Jan McLucas
- The Hon Philip Ruddock
Events
Vision 2020 Australia will help promote your World Sight Day activities. Just email all the details through to events@vision2020australia.org.au and it will be added to the event section on the World Sight Day Hub.
Don't forget to tweet about your WSD activities; this year the Twitter hashtag is #WSD2013.
For more details of the 2013 campaign and how you can get involved visit www.worldsightday.org.au