Oct. 11, 2023 — To mark this year’s World Sight Day (WSD), the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), supported by the World Health Organization and the U.N. Friends of Vision Group, organized a photo exhibition to display in the corridors of the U.N. through Oct. 20.
Titled “2030 in Sight,” the exhibition features several images that are blurred to mimic the world as seen through the eyes of people living with treatable eye conditions, with each image reflecting the objectives of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In the WSD theme of “Love Your Eyes at Work,” two of the images focus on SDG #8, “Decent Work and Economic Growth,” acting as a reminder that quality eye care will improve workplace safety, productivity, and a person’s earning potential.
The exhibition follows a meeting of world leaders, titled “The Value of Vision,” which explored how unaddressed vision issues cost the global economy $411 billion annually in lost productivity and impedes the ability to address poverty and inequality on national levels. “2030 in Sight” also serves to raise awareness of eye health within the U.N., echoing a recent call by 70 member states to appoint a Special Envoy on Vision to act as a global champion in mobilizing action on the importance of eye health.
“This dynamic exhibition comes at a moment when the need for eye care is set to surge in the coming years,” says professor Jérôme Salomon, assistant director-general of universal health coverage, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, for the World Health Organization, who cited the estimation that half of the global population could be living with vision impairment by 2050 if no action is taken. “Every country must work towards universal eye health coverage to meet the growing need, strengthen our health systems, and reduce inequalities within and among countries.”
“‘2030 in Sight’ is a photo exhibition that challenges viewers to consider the impact of eye health on development outcomes…curated to highlight the critical need for available, accessible, and affordable eye health for all by 2030,” says IAPB president Caroline Casey. “It is a powerful interpretation of perspective by forcing the viewer to see the world through the eyes of someone impacted by a preventable or treatable eye condition.”