International World Sight Day 2022: ‘Love Your Eyes’

Every year, World Sight Day is held in October and represents one of the most important days of the year for the eye health sector. World Sight Day is an international event that provides an opportunity to draw attention to the critical importance of eye health and vision care.

This year’s theme was ‘Love Your Eyes‘, and the campaign aimed at raising awareness and driving demand for eye health by encouraging individuals to pledge to take a sight test with the goal of reaching 5 million people. The ‘Love Your Eyes’ campaign received a total of over 6.8 million pledges, almost doubling the 2021 results.

The purpose behind ‘Love Your Eyes’ is to create awareness that everyone will experience an eye health issue at some stage in life. The World Health Organisation recently reported almost 2.2 billion people across the globe – or 25% of our planet’s population – are affected by some kind of visual impairment, most of which could have been avoided. Here on the Sunshine Coast, we are very fortunate to have easy access to a wide range of eye health services, such as ophthalmologists and other allied eye care professionals. to help people prioritise their eye health and prevent sight damage. World Sight Day aims to target key, influential, stakeholders and world leaders to create accessible, affordable and inclusive eye care services around the globe.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has developed 10 tips for how you can ‘Love Your Eyes’:

1. Give your eyes screen breaks by following the 20/20/20 rule. Looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes can help you avoid eyestrain and reduce headaches.
2. Enjoy some time outside. While this applies to people of all ages, children, in particular, should be spending at least two hours a day outside to help their eyes develop and reduce near-sightedness.
3. Protect your eyes from the sun. Wearing sunglasses that have UVA and UVB protection when outside can prevent the sun’s radiation from harming your eyes.
4. Wear prescription glasses should you need them. Wearing prescription glasses will help you see clearly and reduce strain on your eyes.
5. Avoid eye infections from cosmetics. Expired makeup and dirty makeup brushes can carry bacteria that could cause an eye infection.
6. Regular exercise. Exercising regularly can reduce the risk of developing a range of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure which can negatively affect your eyesight.
7. A healthy diet. Eating a healthy and balanced diet will ensure you are receiving the necessary vitamins and minerals for maintaining eye health.
8. Avoid smoking. Smoking adversely affects eye health, increasing your risk of developing serious eye conditions and potentially leading to permeant loss of sight.
9. Detect problems before they arise by getting your eyes tested or visiting an ophthalmologist. Getting an eye test at your local ophthalmologist or optometrist can help detect eye conditions before they can permanently affect your eyesight. If your optometrist uncovers any eye conditions, they will refer you to an ophthalmologist where you can receive treatment and management options.
10. Look after your eyes.  Your eyes need to last you all your life, take care of them. Remind yourself to have regular eye checks every year or so.

Where Best Practice Eyecare comes in…

At Best Practice Eyecare, our ophthalmologist Sunshine Coast team is led by Dr Michael Karpa, a Fellow of RANZCO, a comprehensive Ophthalmologist and expert in Ophthalmology Sunshine Coast. Whatever the diagnosis, the team at Best Practice Eyecare can help you identify the best treatment option for your case, understand your condition, help you manage it and stop the progression of the disease.

Based in the beautiful coastal suburb of Golden Beach, Dr Karpa and this expert team provide eye care services of the highest standard with a relaxed, friendly patient-focused approach. We service patients across all areas of the Sunshine Coast including Caloundra, Kawana, Mooloolaba, and Maroochydore. As a leading cataract surgeon, eye specialist and ophthalmologist Sunshine Coast, Dr Karpa treats a wide range of eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eyes, and flashes & floaters.