World Sight Day is Opportunity for HCP to Share Its Mission

HCP Cureblindness CEO K-T Overbey reviews her notes as she waits for the reporter from Charlotte to call. It’s one of several media interviews scheduled for World Sight Day to talk about the importance of eye health and HCP’s role in eradicating treatable blindness across the globe.

Between press releases, radio and television interviews and social media, audiences hear of HCP’s mission and role in eradicating treatable and avoidable blindness with a potential reach of 100 million viewers/listeners/readers.

In Ethiopia, Country Director Dr. Zelalem Habtamu takes a seat on stage as a participant in a panel discussion, bringing together leaders from government agencies, NGOs and the medical community to talk about next steps to expand care. A band starts the celebration, their music drawing the attention of passersby who come over to see what all the excitement’s about and stay to hear the panel.

In Ghana, HCP Cureblindness conducts vision screenings to contribute to the International Agency to Prevent Blindness’ (IAPB) goal of ten million screenings worldwide. HCP’s contribution to the count is nearly a quarter of a million screenings combined in our core countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Ghana and India. IAPB reports a record-breaking thirteen million screenings conducted in the weeks leading up to and ending on World Sight Day with partner organizations’ help. Country leaders also speak with national media outlets to educate the public on the importance of preventative eye health and regular checkups.

In Nepal, HCP meets with government functionaries to prioritize access to eye care in targeted communities.

World Sight Day serves as a global reminder of the importance of vision and the essential role it plays in our lives. It's a day when we reflect on the millions of people around the world who face challenges related to eye health and vision impairment. The facts are staggering:

• Globally, more than 1.1 billion people cannot see clearly because they don’t have access to basic eye care. Over 300 million of those people are blind or suffer from moderate to severe vision impairment.

• 90% of people suffering from vision loss live in low- and middle-income countries where a solution isn’t available.

• Lack of access to vision care comes with a host of challenges, negatively affecting education, safety, employment, gender equality, health and well-being, and so many more.

There is hope.

Many organizations and individuals are committed to addressing this issue around the world. HCP Cureblindness is proud to be one of many organizations working together to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to the eye care they need and deserve. Through our collective efforts, we have touched millions of lives and provided hope and clarity to those who once faced a blurry and uncertain future.

Governments and world leaders have universally acknowledged that eye care is critical to achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030. CEO K-T Overbey joined the eye care community last month in celebrating the UN’s 2023 Political Declaration, which recommitted the global community to addressing eye health as an essential action. This is excellent news.

Our journey is far from over, and there are still countless individuals who need our assistance. But, on this World Sight Day, we celebrate our achievements and the lives we have helped transform through our work.