World Sight Day: shining a light on eye health and CBM’s work

World Sight Day takes place on 8 October, providing an opportunity to raise awareness of eye health and the millions of people around the world who face avoidable sight loss because they cannot access the care they need.

At CBM UK, we’re marking the day by celebrating the work of our partners, sharing what we’re learning about eye health and inviting our supporters to get involved.

The Arclight: a small device making a big difference

One of the innovations helping to transform access to eye care is the Arclight – a small, portable and solar-powered device that enables trained health workers to examine the eye and identify a range of conditions.

Traditional eye examination equipment can be expensive, difficult to transport and reliant on electricity or batteries. The Arclight provides a low-cost alternative that can be used in community and primary healthcare settings, helping bring eye screening closer to where people live.

CBM has been working with Dr Andrew Blaikie, Consultant Ophthalmologist and lead for the Arclight Project at the University of St Andrews, for more than a decade.

Find out more about the Arclight from Dr Andrew Blaikie himself…

Test your eye health knowledge

How much do you know about avoidable blindness and eye health?

To mark World Sight Day, CBM UK has created a World Sight Day quiz – a fun way to test your knowledge and discover more about the causes of avoidable blindness and the work we are doing to prevent it.

From cataracts and eye health to the global challenges facing people living with sight loss, why not put your knowledge to the test?

Take the eye health quiz

Celebrating World Sight Day in our communities

World Sight Day is also an opportunity for CBM supporters to bring people together and raise awareness of avoidable blindness closer to home.

CBM volunteer Gill Godber is continuing a tradition of marking World Sight Day with an event at Heathlands House Care Home in Cambridge on Thursday 8^th October between 2-5 pm.

Gill and her husband Peter are dedicated CBM UK volunteers for 20 years. Last year, their Love Your Eyes event at Heathlands House brought residents, families, staff and supporters together for a musical afternoon tea, raising more than £500 for CBM UK’s work to prevent blindness and support people with disabilities.

Events like Gill’s show that there are many ways to take action for World Sight Day – whether that means learning more about eye health, supporting CBM’s work, talking about avoidable blindness with others, joining a church service or organising an event in your own community.

Join us for CBM Sunday

World Sight Day is also the beginning of an important week for CBM UK supporters.

Christian Blind Mission Sunday takes place on Sunday 11 October, the first Sunday after World Sight Day. Churches across the UK are invited to join CBM in prayer and reflection for people living with avoidable blindness.

This year’s theme, ‘Your love can Light the Way’, invites churches to remember people who are too often excluded and to consider how we can help make eye care accessible to everyone.

Churches taking part can access free CBM Sunday resources, including sermon ideas, prayers, videos and PowerPoint slides.

Find out more about CBM Sunday