Qatar Celebrates World Sight Day

Doha, October 07 (QNA) - The State of Qatar joins the world in celebrations marking the World Sight Day (WSD) which falls on October 8 and held this year under the theme: 'Eye Health for All' in light of the Vision 2020 - The Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness - Right to Sight. The celebration is launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to eradicate cause of avoidable blindness by the year 2020. World Sight Day is an important advocacy and communications opportunity for the eye health community. It is a great time to engage with a wider audience a patient's family, those who seldom get an eye exam, diabetics and showcase why eye health needs everybody's attention. The Supreme Council of Health, by celebrating the World Sight Day, aims at increasing all community members' awareness of the importance of periodic eye and vision examinations and the focus on weak sight and avoidable blindness. Cataract, glaucoma (blue water) and retinal detachment due to diabetes were the main causes of blindness in the State of Qatar. The blindness prevention programme in Qatar targets all age groups such as elderly people, children, school students and specially persons over forty years old as well as workers at factories and workshops. (QNA)