World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is a global event meant to draw attention on blindness and vision impairment. World Sight Day, was originally initiated by the Sight First Campaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. Maximum of the population suffering from eye diseases worldwide can prevent these with right measures. Globally, 2.2 billion people are affected by poor eye health, and one billion of these cases could have been prevented.

Reduced eyesight can be caused by several factors, including diseases like diabetes and trachoma, trauma to the eyes, or conditions such as refractive error, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma. The majority of people with vision impairment are over the age of 50 years; however, vision loss can affect people of all ages.

Interesting facts about the eye

What is the maximum resolution of the human eye?

•  The human eye is 576 megapixels

   We see things upside down

• We actually see things upside down, it’s our brains that convert the image before us the right way up. When we’re born we’re color blind and for the first week or two, we see the world upside down. This is because we haven’t yet developed the ability to flip the image in front of us.

Pupils dilate when we’re excited

• Have you ever noticed how cats’ eyes get bigger when they look at prey, or right before they’re about to jump on your lap? Just like cats, our pupils expand when we’re excited, interested or scared. Equally, when we’re less engaged, our pupils also decrease in size.

Computer use is a common cause of eyestrain. If you work at a desk and use a computer, these self-care steps can help take some of the strain off your eyes.

• Blink often to refresh your eyes.
• Take eye breaks. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
• Check the lighting and reduce glare.
• Adjust your monitor.
• Adjust your screen settings.