October 13th is World Sight Day

Read a short note from Dr. Amit Arwindekar on World Sight Day:

Nearly one-third of the world’s population, around 2.2 billion people, experience some form of vision impairment, yet half of these cases could be prevented or treated to ensure major sight issues do not develop.¹ World Sight Day takes place on October 13^th, bringing awareness to this issue and drawing attention to blindness, vision impairments and the value of eye care.

Preventative care is critical for maintaining eye health, even for young and generally healthy people with no prior vision issues. World Sight Day focuses on the message of ‘Love your eyes’ to express the importance of comprehensive eye care.² For our part, UnitedHealthcare Global members have access to outpatient healthcare coverage, including optical benefits to help members maintain eye health. Whether people are concerned about their eye health, or just seeking a routine appointment, these benefits are ideal for individuals in need of eye examinations, glasses or contact lenses.

Despite the progress made in the vision industry around the world, there remains a growing regional disparity in eye health. An estimated 88% of blind people live in low-income countries, where often-avoidable cataracts are the main cause of blindness.³ According to the First World Report on vision published by the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people are living with vision impairment because they cannot get the appropriate care for conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts.⁴

This World Sight Day, we at UnitedHealthcare Global want to encourage everyone to think about their eye health. Consider getting a preventative check-up and remember the importance of equitable vision health. - Dr. Amit Arwindekar, Medical Director, North America, UnitedHealthcare Global

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Resources:

^{1: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
2: https://www.iapb.org/world-sight-day/about-world-sight-day/
3: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/to-end-extreme-poverty-we-must-also-end-blindness/
4: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516570}