SYDNEY—The World Sight Day Challenge is officially under way. According to an announcement last week by Optometry Giving Sight, this year’s World Sight Day Challenge began on Aug. 1. The goal is to help an additional 1 million people around the world receive eyecare. The challenge is focused on World Sight Day, which this year takes place on Thursday Oct. 11, and the challenge continues until the end of November. (World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.)

An astounding 1.22 billion people around the world are blind or vision-impaired because they do not have access to an eye exam and the glasses they need, according to the announcement. The World Sight Day Challenge is a response to this alarming statistic, and it is coordinated by Optometry Giving Sight, the annual fundraising campaign that brings the global optometry community together to raise money and awareness to help provide eyecare to those in need.

“As it is estimated that as much as 80 percent of what a child learns is processed through the visual system, an eye examination and glasses can mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of opportunity,” Dr. Juan Carlos Aragon, global chair of Optometry Giving Sight. “A child’s ability to play and learn and to contribute at home and school is largely dependent on good vision.”

For the past 12 years, thousands of optometrists, their staff, patients, students and families have taken the World Sight Day Challenge and made a difference by making a tax-deductible donation and/or by raising funds in their practice, school or company, according to the announcement.

Optometry Giving Sight encourages everyone to join the World Sight Day Challenge and help transform the life of millions of people around the world. To donate or pledge participation, supporters can click here.

For further information and campaign details, contact the Optometry Giving Sight office in Golden, Colo., at (303) 526-0430.

World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and is supported by eye health organizations around the world – including Optometry Giving Sight – and is included on the official World Health Organization (WHO) calendar. Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation is the implementing partner supported by Optometry Giving Sight.