Today is World Sight Day-a day set aside to remind us that not everyone has access to quality eye care and that millions of blind people suffer needlessly from conditions that are preventable, treatable or curable.

Held on the second Thursday of October since 1999, World Sight Day is included on the official world health organization calendar and coordinated by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under the VISION 2020 Global Initiative, which ORBIS, a global nonprofit development organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, helped to launch.

This year's World Sight Day theme is Eyes on the Future: Fighting Vision Impairment Later in Life. An estimated 80% of the world's 45 million blind people are over the age of 50, yet 75% of this blindness can be easily treated or could have prevented.

Join ORBIS in celebrating World Sight Day and calling attention to the need to protect the ageing eye.



You can also find photos and information about delivering improved eye care services themultimedia news release found here.

Also, please take a moment to visit the ORBIS website to learn more about our work. If you have any further questions, I am available by e-mail and by phone at 646-674-5596.

[Thanks to Eteena Tadjiogueu for the hat tip!]