World Sight Day 2024 is officially launched! The campaign is an opportunity for individuals and organisations worldwide to unite in support of eye health for all.  

“The World Sight Day campaign has always been about building awareness of the importance of eye health. With the 2024 campaign, we are focusing our efforts on ensuring parents and carers understand the role eye care plays in a child’s development, learning attainment and social interactions. We also hope that through the support of our Love Your Eyes Global Partners and membership network we can inspire millions of young people everywhere to take care of their eyes,” said Peter Holland, IAPB CEO. 

To further build engagement and awareness, a mascot to the campaign called Artie was introduced. Artie, as the face of the World Sight Day campaign, is the physical representation of the Love Your Eyes heart and brings a fun, youthful element to the campaign. In addition to Artie, a suite of eye health activities pages and learning materials designed for children of all ages.

The Glasses of the Future Competition, another new element to the campaign, invites creative kids to colour and invent the next generation of glasses. The competition calls for entries from around the world and will close on World Sight Day.  

Simon Darvill, Director of Communications, Campaigns and Events for IAPB said “We introduced Artie and The Glasses of the Future Competition as fun ways to inspire children to look away from the screen and learn healthy habits that will protect their eyes for a long time. Our hope is that everyone with an interest in helping children see will adopt Artie in a way that supports their awareness and campaigning efforts. We would also love for businesses to invite the children that come through their waiting rooms to enter the competition and create some cool glasses.” 

People are reminded that as an important part of the Love Your Eyes campaign, World Sight Day is not a single day of observation but a series of opportunities for awareness from July and running through to 10 October. This extended campaign allows participants, in the eye health sector and beyond, to maximize engagement and promotion that best suit their organisation. 

World Sight Day is made possible with support from IAPB’s Love Your Eyes Global Partners; Abbvie, Amgen, Bayer, CBM, CooperVision, Hoya, Johnson & Johnson Vision, National Vision, Roche, Safilo, Seva Foundation, and Sightsavers. 

Originally published in IAPB.