World Sight Day

Dr Nilesh Buddha, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia

Globally, an estimated 2.2 billion people live with vision impairment, with nearly 30% of those affected living in the WHO South-East Asia Region. Nearly half of the global burden has an impairment that could have been addressed with surgery or a pair of glasses. Young children with early onset severe vision impairment can experience lower levels of educational achievement, and in adults it often affects quality of life through lower productivity, decreased workforce participation, and high rates of depression^.[1]

World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, unites the global eye health community in raising awareness of the importance of eye health to the public, decision-makers, and service providers.

Cataract, uncorrected refractive error, and diabetic retinopathy together account for more than 90% of the blind and visually impaired population in the Region.^[2] Under global targets endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2021, the Region has committed to a 40-percentage-point increase in effective refractive error coverage and a 30-percentage-point increase in effective cataract surgical coverage by 2030. Currently, the regional effective refractive error coverage stands at only 27.4%, while effective cataract surgical coverage is 26.4%. The Regional Action Plan for Integrated People-Centred Eye Care 2022–2030 further commits to screening 80% of people with diabetes for retinopathy, and treating 80% of those found to have sight-threatening disease, also by 2030. Accelerated action is needed to meet these targets.

The Region has made progress. Following the validation of Timor-Leste last month, the Region has eliminated trachoma – a leading infectious cause of blindness – as a public health problem. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste have begun rolling out the WHO SPECS 2030 initiative nationally to accelerate refractive error coverage. Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are now developing comprehensive national eye health strategies that integrate SPECS principles.^[3] At a regional eye health meeting in India in 2025, experiences from Thailand, Bhutan, and India showed how technology-enabled screening and telemedicine are speeding diabetic retinopathy detection and treatment.

Nevertheless, challenges persist, including an unmet need of about 47% for refractive error services in the Region. Equity remains a major concern, particularly for low-income families, women, and older adults, who may struggle to access affordable eyeglasses when they need them. These challenges are linked to limited public provision of refractive services, shortages of trained eye-care workers, high out-of-pocket costs, and gaps in data.

While expanding access to refractive services remains essential, people also need simple and accessible ways to understand their own vision and seek care when needed. Regular vision checks help identify problems early, enabling timely action and access to the care needed to protect and maintain sight. A visual acuity test, one of the most common vision assessments, measures the ability of a person to identify or distinguish an object or letter clearly at a given distance. WHO has developed WHOeyes,^[4] a free mobile app for people to check their visual acuity through a self-assessment at home using a smartphone or tablet. WHOeyes does not replace eye examinations by an eye care professional, and regular professional eye examinations remain important regardless of the result.

This World Sight Day, WHO urges people to check their vision with WHOeyes. Take a moment to know your vision, care for your eyes, and encourage those around you to do the same.