SRGR Celebrates World Sight Day
The second Thursday of October plays host to the World Sight Day every year. This year the annual event falls on the 13th of October.
But what is World Sight Day (WSD)?
World Sight Day is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October, to focus attention on the global issue of eye health. Coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), this year’s World Sight Day theme is “Love Your Eyes.”
Tips for people across all age groups to #Loveyoureyes
World Sight Day is an incredible opportunity to educate people about the importance of eye care. We at SRGR believe that eye health is not just about the ability to see. It is about the ability to have a vision-a clear and healthy vision of the future. It is our firm belief that the earlier we adopt this vision, the higher can be our quality of life, as eye health impacts so many other areas of life and well-being. We also believe that early and consistent eye care, which begins at a young age and continues as we get older, is key to preventing vision impairments and eye problems.
This year SRGR wants to celebrate World Sight Day by sharing simple tips to #Loveyoureye for different age groups:
1. #Loveyoureyes tips for children & adolescents
Good eyesight and vision are crucial in ensuring that a child develops to their full potential socially and academically. Here is how parents and caregivers can ensure that they give the eye health of their child the attention it deserves:
a) Replace screen time with time spent outdoors: Staring at the school board and school books all day, followed by playing video games or watching TV in the evening can cause eye strain. This can be prevented by incorporating more outdoor activities which have been proven to delay the development of myopia in children. In addition to being good for their physical health, outdoor activities like swimming and cycling are beneficial for a child's developing hand-eye coordination.
b) Take care while reading & watching TV: Always ensure that a room is adequately lit when your child is reading or watching TV. Also maintaining a healthy range of 40-50 cm between your child and the book or electronic device will reduce the burden of strain on your child’s eye and ensure that they remain healthy.
c) Discourage kids from rubbing their eyes: Kids tend to rub their eyes if they feel something in them. This can be the cause of frequent infections due to the germs that pass from the hands to the eyelids. Kids with eye infections like conjunctivitis can worsen their situation by rubbing their eyes.
d) Teach them about eye safety: You might think that your child knows it intuitively, but most children need a reminder to keep their eyes safe from sharp objects like scissors & pencils and to avoid getting anything in anyone else's eyes as well.
e) Watch for warning signs: Keep an eye on your child for any problems with their vision. Symptoms like squinting while reading, headache, and unusual head tilt indicate vision problems and are worth getting checked.
2. #Loveyoureyes tips for young adults
Young adults in today's world have to keep up with the demands of their work, studies, and hectic social life. In this balancing act, their health, including their visual health gets ignored. But the good news is, they can take care of their eyes even while juggling a bunch of other priorities with these optic care tips:
a) Give your eyes a break: From studies to work to entertainment. Everything in a young adult’s life requires them to stare at computer screens and digital devices for long periods. Encourage them to get into the habit of taking frequent breaks and giving their eyes a rest by looking into the distance every few minutes.
b) Follow contact lens hygiene: Similar to contact lens rules to be followed when traveling, young adults need to follow good hygiene to prevent eye infections due to contact lens wear. Small steps like washing your hands before handling contacts, using good quality contact lens solution, and removing contact lenses before bed, can prevent eye infections, irritation, and other conditions that can result in vision loss.
c) Follow makeup hygiene: Sharing your eye makeup with others or using their makeup can increase the risk of eye infections like conjunctivitis. It's important to use clean sponges & brushes, and to remove eye makeup before sleeping, to prevent eye irritation and redness.
3. #Loveyoureyes tips for older people
Our vision deteriorates as we become adults and even more so during our senior years.
Luckily, some great steps can be taken to prolong and protect vision as we reach older ages. Our blog on eye care tips for the elderly covers in detail steps that can be taken to prevent eye-related diseases amongst older people, but here are a few key ones:
a) Track your vitals: With age, people need to regularly monitor their vitals like blood pressure, glucose levels, and cholesterol levels. These systemic diseases have a direct impact on the blood vessels in the eyes and can cause serious retinal damage if ignored.
b) Use prescription glasses: Regular use of prescription glasses amongst adults & senior citizens who are near or farsighted helps in reducing eye strain and decreases the risk of falls and accidents. Making your eyes work harder by not wearing prescription glasses puts additional strain on them which can lead to other vision problems.
4. #Loveyoureyes tips for all age groups
There are a few #Loveyoureyes tips that should be followed across age groups for good vision and eye health in the long term:
a) Eat & live healthy: A nutrition-rich balanced diet consisting of leafy greens, fruits and vegetables are essential at all ages for your eyes to receive the nutrition they need to function at their best. Exercising and staying physically active from a young age into old age ensures proper blood flow and oxygen required for healthy eyes.
b) There is no age bar for eye-checkup: Getting a routine eye exam is important as vision-related issues and eye diseases can happen unexpectedly at any age. The earlier an eye problem is detected, the earlier an appropriate treatment can be recommended to ensure successful vision correction and life-long benefits.
c) Sunglasses for eye protection: Exposure to ultra-violet rays of the sun is harmful to the eyes at any age and can be prevented by wearing good quality, 100% UV protected or polarised sunglasses at all times when outdoors during daylight.
How World Sight Day has become central to SRGR
With its single-point focus on eye health and the importance of getting eyes checked, World Sight Day is a central part of SRGR. It underscores SRGR's mission to elevate the quality of life through high-quality eye care and vision solutions. It aligns with our ambition to inculcate and promote sustainable business practices by making eye care accessible and equitable. Furthermore, it supports our goal to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3—good health and well-being. This year we walked the talk by conducting free eye check up for all people in or visiting Bangalore from the 9th to the 15th Oct 2022 across all SRGR outlets. Going forward, we hope to uphold the spirit of World Sight Day and give back to the community through different programs.
