World Sight Day: How you can give the gift of vision

We take our vision for granted, but imagine not seeing rainbows, a loved one's face or not being able to read the chalkboard in a classroom.

We shouldn’t take our vision for granted.

An estimated 2.2 billion people have vision impairment or blindness, according to the World Health Organization.

Even worse? More than 1 billion of those cases — which include conditions like myopia, hyperopia, cataract and glaucoma — either could have been prevented or have not yet been treated.

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus worldwide attention on vision impairment and blindness. The event is organized by The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

World Sight Day 2023 is October 12, 2023. This year's theme is #LoveYourEyes.

You can make a difference during World Sight Day (and throughout the year) by contributing to organizations dedicated to eradicating global vision impairment and blindness. Your donation can improve the vision of people in your community and around the world.

Here are five organizations that support World Sight Day and provide eye exams and eyeglasses to children, train teachers about eye health, and help those who are blind.