Profession encouraged to “save the date” and support National Eye Health Week 2023

The organisers of National Eye Health Week (NEHW) have encouraged the profession to “save the date” and support the annual public health campaign, which will return between 18  24 September 2023.

Themes for NEHW 2023 will be unveiled at an official launch in spring.

Organisers shared that the campaign is an important method for sharing eye care advice with the UK public, but that “there is still work to be done to elevate the campaign to be one of the UK’s premier health events.”

David Cartwright, chair of Eye Health UK, the charity responsible for running the campaign, commented: “Awareness and public health messaging are key elements of the proposed national eye health strategy for England and are vital for improving the eye health of people across the UK.

“NEHW provides the ideal platform for the sector to come together to highlight the importance of routine eye tests and adopting healthy lifestyle habits to prevent avoidable sight loss and poor eye health,” he continued.

Cartwright emphasised that the more people who support the campaign, the more effective it will be: “let’s work together on this important prevention initiative, because vision matters.”

Organisers encouraged professionals and organisations to save the date ahead of NEHW, register to access free promotional resources for the campaign and follow the campaign on social media channels.

The organisers also highlighted methods of supporting the campaign through becoming an official partner, or donating.

“The scale, scope and reach of the week relies on financial backing from the sector and other third parties as no public funds are currently available to support the initiative,” the organisers shared, though a medium-term goal for the charity is to secure public funding.

Contributions can be made by through PCSE Online by ‘opting in’ to the Eyecare Trust voluntary levy scheme, or one-off donations can be made by contacting the organisers.

“Every penny raised really does make a difference and benefits both the public and the profession,” the organisers said.