World Sight Day is Observed in Belize
World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October. It is a global event meant to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment. It was originally initiated by the Sight First Campaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. In Belize City, the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired held a private clinic at our office this morning where we got our eyes checked as part of the day’s observation. Carla Ayres-Musa is the executive director of BCVI.
Carla Ayres-Musa, Executive Director, BCVI
“World Sight Day is celebrated every year in October and every year there is a different theme. For the past few years it’s been focused on loving your eyes and this year in specific it’s been focused on loving your eyes at work. This could mean a lot of different things, through the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness that BCVI partners with. There’s a global campaign and we are encouraging people to take care of your eyes at work, whether you work behind a screen, whether you work in the cane fields, whether you’re working in construction and a lot of us don’t get the time to leave our offices and go and get our eyes checked. So we wanted to bring that service to our friends at Channel Five today.”
Isani Cayetano
“Would you encourage other persons to get their eyes tested?”
Carla Ayres-Musa
“Absolutely, I think we often don’t consider the health of our eyes until we notice that there is a problem with them and with some eye problems you don’t notice any changes until it’ too late to regain that vision. So things like glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy you would be able to detect those when you have your eyes checked. SO we really recommend checking your eyes every year. If you have already been diagnosed with something, we suggest that you check every six months or as often as your doctor recommends.”