As the world marks World Sight Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for intensified and sustained efforts to tackle preventable vision loss and ensure equitable access to quality eye care across Africa.
Observed annually on the second Thursday of October, World Sight Day raises awareness about the importance of eye health and the need to prevent avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
WHO noted that good eyesight significantly contributes to well-being, education, and productivity but warned that vision impairment remains a growing public health challenge, projected to rise without coordinated intervention.
In his message, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, commended progress in combating vision loss caused by vitamin A deficiency, onchocerciasis, and trachoma, but cautioned that new challenges are emerging from ageing populations, unhealthy lifestyles, and non-communicable diseases.
“To effectively address these challenges, we must strengthen health systems, expand access to affordable eye care, and promote healthy living habits that prevent vision impairment,” he said.
Dr Janabi referenced global initiatives such as Vision 2020: The Right to Sight and the World Health Assembly Decision WHA74(12), which urge member states to expand coverage for refractive error correction and cataract surgery by 2030.
He also highlighted the SPECS 2030 initiative launched by WHO in June 2024, aimed at achieving universal access to affordable refractive error services. Eight African countries have already begun implementing the framework.
Despite these gains, WHO revealed that only 32% of African countries have national eye health policies, while cataract surgery and refractive error correction coverage remain at 26% and 30%, respectively.
Dr Janabi urged governments to prioritise eye health as part of universal health coverage, integrate assistive technologies into health benefit packages, and invest in training eye care professionals.
He also encouraged the public to undergo regular eye examinations, adopt healthy habits, and use digital innovations like WHO Eyes, a free vision-screening app.
“Through collective action, we can ensure that preventable blindness becomes a thing of the past in Africa,” he added.
World Sight Day 2025 serves as a reminder that protecting vision is essential for health, productivity, and quality of life and that everyone has a role in creating a future free from avoidable blindness.
