08 October 2026
This World Sight Day (8 October 2026) organisers are calling for accessible, available and affordable eye care for all through its Love Your Eyes campaign.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), organisers of World Sight Day, has suggested that the collaborative effort of the Love Your Eyes campaign will take on even greater significance in the lead up to the first Global Summit for Eye Health in November.
The global summit will be hosted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and will convene senior leaders from government, private and public sectors, non-governmental organisations and funding institutions with a focus on the value of vision to countries, communities and individuals.
The IAPB has said that five years on from the UN Resolution on Vision, the summit provides an opportunity to secure “a new wave of ambitious commitments and transform a shared vision into action.”
OT heard from optometrist Jude Stern, director of knowledge and capability building at the IAPB, about the importance of the global summit and how the World Sight Day campaign is helping to build momentum ahead of the event.
IAPB is working up to the Global Summit for Eye Health in November. Why is this such an important milestone for the eye care community?
Jude Stern (JS), optometrist and director of knowledge and capability building, IAPB: As optometrists, we know first-hand how good vision can transform lives. We also know that eye care is not available for more than one billion people who need it.
The global summit is a historic opportunity to bring eye health to the attention of heads of state and government and position it as not only a health issue, but also an economic and development priority.
The aim is to turn political attention into action, securing commitments that improve access to eye care, integrate eye health across government systems and accelerate progress towards ending avoidable sight loss.
Primary eye care professionals see every day the impact that good eye health has on people’s lives, which makes them powerful advocates for change
What would you like primary eye care professionals in the UK to know about the opportunity that the Global Summit for Eye Health presents and how the World Sight Day campaign supports this?
(JS): The summit is a chance to elevate eye health on national and global agendas and demonstrate its importance far beyond healthcare.
Through IAPB’s Value of Vision work, we’ve shown that investing in eye health boosts education, productivity and economic growth, as well as health and wellbeing. The Investment Case, available through the IAPB’s Vision Atlas, is a resource open to everyone. I encourage anyone with an interest in global development or health to explore how we are making the case for eye care as both a development priority and a healthcare imperative.
World Sight Day creates an opportunity for professionals, organisations and the public to use their voices to call for greater investment and action on eye health worldwide.
Value of Vision report launched at UK Parliament
The event, hosted by Marsha de Cordova MP, featured experts from the global eye health sector, private sector, and research
What is the ambition for the summit? What outcomes would the IAPB like to see?
(JS): The ambition is to accelerate progress towards ensuring everyone, everywhere can access quality eye care, by securing meaningful commitments from governments, international institutions, civil society and the private sector.
As an optometrist, and now the director of knowledge and capability building at the IAPB, I’d like to see commitments that lead to stronger eye health systems, increased investment, and expanded access to care for everyone.
As well as bringing eye health to the attention of world leaders, the summit will help strengthen collaboration across the eye care sector, enabling professionals and organisations to continue working together to achieve the best outcomes for patients and communities worldwide.
As an eye health practitioner, or a professional who has dedicated a career to ending avoidable sight loss, you have something special: a unique story
How would you emphasise to primary eye care professionals in the UK that they can make a difference?
(JS): Primary eye care professionals see every day the impact that good eye health has on people’s lives, which makes them powerful advocates for change. One specific way to make a difference relating to the summit would be to encourage your organisation, or a professional body you are a member of, to endorse the St John’s Global Compact for Eye Health.
The compact is a pledge to prioritise eye care as fundamental to health, economies and development. It offers an opportunity for the entire profession to join governments, institutions, civil society and private sector, to unite behind a shared goal: ensuring everyone, everywhere can access quality eye care.
Stories from optometrists can also help our Every Story Counts campaign. As a campaigning organisation, we combine stories to form one collective and powerful voice that becomes difficult to ignore.
As an eye health practitioner, or a professional who has dedicated a career to ending avoidable sight loss, you have something special: a unique story. I would encourage anyone with a story to tell to share their experience and help us campaign for better eye care.
Whether through advocacy, raising awareness or supporting organisations that endorse the compact, every professional can help build momentum for change.
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