World Sight Day 2021 Marked
World Sight Day takes place today (14 October), giving people the chance to raise awareness of eye health and the importance of protecting our eyes.
This year’s theme is #LoveYourEyes and highlights the value of eye tests and learning about our eye health.
It is organized by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and has been marked since 2000. The UK joined the campaign in 2020.
According to the IAPB, World Sight Day unites charities, professional bodies, and healthcare providers in “working together to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment”.
Accidents and sight loss
A major cause of avoidable sight loss is accidents. The eyes are a hugely vulnerable part of our bodies and can be seriously injured in preventable accidents.
Some of the many ways your eyes could be injured include:
- Blows to the head – these could be sustained in contact sports or criminal assaults
- Chemical splashes – often caused by workplace accidents
- Continuous exposure to extreme bright light – if this was through work, this could be considered an industrial disease
- Road traffic accidents – particularly when sharp objects, such as broken glass, enter the eye
If you or a loved one was the victim of an accident and suffered from sight loss as a result, you could be able to make a compensation claim. The compensation you’re awarded for a successful claim could go towards your recovery or towards helping you deal with the effects.
The impact of medical negligence
Accidents aren’t the only way you could suffer sight loss through negligence. You may have been the victim of medical negligence. This could have been an optician or optometrist not doing their work to a good standard, or another medical professional not realising that you were at risk of sight loss.
You or a loved one may also have experienced eye surgery that went wrong. This could have been an operation for cataracts or even laser eye surgery. Although these incidents are rare, they are devastating when they do happen.
Meanwhile, according to the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, one of the leading causes of sight loss is suffering a stroke. The sooner you receive treatment for a stroke, the lower your chances of suffering the most severe consequences, such as significant sight loss.
If your medical team didn’t diagnose your stroke early enough or they misdiagnosed your stroke, and you suffered more harm than you should have, you could be able to make a compensation claim.
Sight loss can be hugely distressing. But there is support available for those living with it. Some helpful organisations include:
