Every 5 seconds, someone somewhere on Earth goes blind.
World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday in October, is a worldwide event meant to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and vision impairment. In Trinidad and Tobago, World Sight Day 2019 was marked by a Walk for Sight.
Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago joined Dr. Desiree Murray, Chairman of The Volunteers for World Sight Day and Lecturer in Opthalmology, UWI as well as the visually impaired, supporters and well wishers on the Walk for Sight around the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Sunday October 13th 2019.
In Trinidad and Tobago the young, school children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. The major causes of avoidable blindness and vision impairment in these at-risk groups include uncorrected refractive error, cataract, glaucoma and diabetes. Our country has approximately 13,000 individuals who are blind, with glaucoma (32%), cataract (29%) and diabetic retinopathy (13%) together accounting for 74% of blindness. Uncorrected refractive error accounts for 46% of moderate and severe visual impairment.
