World Sight Day: free consultations and eye tests in 90 Italian cities

World Sight Day, which is celebrated on 8 October, is an annual event organised in Italia by the IAPB Italia ETS Foundation (the Italian branch of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness), which has been raising awareness in our country about the protection of eye health since 2002.

As part of the event, free screening sessions and advice will be offered in over 90 Italian towns and cities, thanks to the collaboration of the local branches of the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted, with the aim of translating the concept of prevention into practical healthcare activities, health initiatives and health education sessions (information here). According to Mario Barbuto, president of the IAPB Italia Foundation and the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted, “sight is such an integral part of our daily lives that we often end up taking it for granted”.

The figures, however, paint a different picture. According to the World Health Organisation, over 2.2 billion people live with impaired vision or blindness and, in at least half of these cases, vision loss could be prevented or effectively treated through early diagnosis, appropriate care and access to services. For its part, Italia – one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world – is grappling with a steady rise in chronic, degenerative eye conditions linked to ageing, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, from which it is estimated that over 3 million people in Italia are affected. There is also a rapid increase in myopia amongst the younger generations, driven by changes in lifestyle and the increase in time spent indoors and in front of digital screens: globally, around 25 per cent of children and adolescents were short-sighted in 1990; by 2023, this figure will rise to almost 36 per cent, and by 2050 it is estimated to reach around 40 per cent, equivalent to 740 million people.

“I know from personal experience,” continues Barbuto, “just how profoundly the loss of sight can change the way we live, move about, work and relate to others. That is why we must help people understand, from a young age, just how precious sight is and how important it is to look after one’s eyes throughout one’s life. Prevention is not a one-off action but a daily practice.”

To mark World Sight Day, the artist Jerico Cabrera Carandang has created a tactile mural in Via Galvani in Rome’s Testaccio district (pictured). “A unique work of art, so beautiful that even a blind person can appreciate it,” concludes Barbuto. “Sight is not simply something to be preserved; it must be cherished for a lifetime. Just like the pearl depicted in the tactile mural we have created.”