Guyana to observe World Sight Day
DPI, Guyana, Monday, October 8, 2018
On the 11th of October 2018, Guyana will observe World Sight Day (WSD) – an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. This year, the theme is Eyecare Everywhere – a call to nations to ensure that everyone has access to affordable eye care.
World Sight Day is the focal Advocacy and PR event for IAPB and its members and partners each year, highlighting the fact that 75% of blindness is avoidable (i.e. preventable and/or treatable) – 3 out of 4 people have avoidable visual impairment. WSD provides a platform for organisations to encourage governments, corporations, institutions and individuals to actively support global blindness prevention efforts.
Local Activities
- The Georgetown Public Hospital will be hosting “FREE EYE TESTING” at the Georgetown Public Hospital Eye Clinic from 8:30am to 1:30pm on World Sight Day – Thursday October 11th 2018. Patients will have free access to the clinic and can walk into the clinic to have their eyes tested for Glaucoma, Cataract, Refractive Errors, Diabetic Retinopathy and other eye diseases. A team of nurses will also be conducting group educational sessions with patients to spread awareness about eye health and eye care. The Diabetic
Retinopathy Centre will also be available for walk-in screening on that day. The Diabetic Eye Centre is supported by the World Diabetes Foundation through a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Public Health, Orbis International and University of Toronto Banting and Best Diabetes Centre. The programme allows persons with diabetes under go free screening tests to detect early diabetic eye disease (diabetic retinopathy) before it proceeds to cause permanent blindness.
The Screening on World Sight Day will be done by the Staff of the Department of
Ophthalmology including Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, doctors and nurses of the GPHC Eye Clinic. Screening will also be done at the Vision Centre, located in the GPHC Compound.
The general public and media are encouraged to have all persons to attend this free screening session in an effort to prevent blindness.
- At the University of Guyana, the School of Optometry students will be conducting World Sight Day Commemorative Activities on campus.
- Alcon-Novartis in collaboration with GPHC will also be hosting a World Sight Day CME Session in commemoration of World Sight Day for Eye Care Professionals and Physicians. This is an educational session where lectures are given on various eye diseases to update physiciancs in practice. This will be held on the evening of World Sight Day October 11th from 6:00 to 7:00pm at the Herdmanston Lodge, Queenstown, Georgetown. PreRegistration is required to attend this function.
- Local Optometrists and Optical Shops are also expected to be involved in eye screening activities at various locations in Georgetown.