World Sight Day Celebrated with Focus on Eye Care and Prevention
Summary
World Sight Day is being marked in Kathmandu with calls for better eye care, expanded check-ups, and stronger public awareness in schools, workplaces, and policy spaces. Experts say blindness has declined in Nepal, but glaucoma, retinal disease, diabetes-related vision problems, and other eye disorders are rising.
Key Points
- World Sight Day is being celebrated under the slogan “Let’s love our eyes, let’s protect our vision.”
- The campaign is urging the government and stakeholders to expand accessible, quality eye health services and public awareness efforts.
- Nepal’s blindness prevalence has dropped from 0.84 percent in 1981 to 0.28 percent in the 2022 RABB survey, but other eye diseases remain a growing concern.
- Nepal Netrajyoti Sangh says it has treated over 50 million people and performed more than 5.6 million eye surgeries through its network of hospitals and centers.
