Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind media release

13 October 2010

Help eliminate avoidable blindness this World Sight Day

While a staggering 4 percent of the world’s population is blind or partially sighted, 80 percent of blindness is avoidable.

World Sight Day, happening on 14 October, is an international day of awareness to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and vision impairment.

The theme for this year’s World Sight Day is ‘Countdown to 2020’; 2010 marks a mid-point in the global initiative that aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

The RNZFB is New Zealand’s main provider of essential sight-loss services, empowering its 11,500 members with the training, tools and support they need to deal with blindness and achieve their goals. Every year approximately 1,200 New Zealanders become RNZFB members after experiencing serious sight loss.

Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) Chief Executive Sandra Budd says that it’s time for New Zealand to take a close and serious look at eliminating avoidable blindness and vision loss.

“Common eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy that currently top our membership list can actually be eliminated in the future,” she says. “But we need to take concerted action to achieve this”.

The key actions sought to avoid blindness worldwide are risk reduction, enhanced early detection, workforce development and coordination, equity of access to eye health and vision care services, improved systems for the delivery of eye care, and the gathering and dissemination of quality evidence.

“The RNZFB is highlighting World Sight Day in the lead up to Blind Week, which not only brings awareness to the blindness and sight loss cause, it also raises much needed donations to support the full range of vital services that we provide,” Sandra Budd says.

Imagine if… we could eliminate avoidable blindness around the globe.

ENDS

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