Love your sight? Then #LoveYourEyes

What would life be like if you couldn’t see? As students, for a class activity, we once covered our eyes and blocked out sound with earplugs to experience the importance of our senses and understand the challenges those with impairments or disabilities may face.

Our senses build nerve connections in the brain necessary for the healthy development and growth of an understanding of the world and our role in it. Life without any one of them would be challenging, as some experienced during COVID with the loss of taste and smell, but without the sense of sight, our survival can be at risk. Responsible for as much as 80% of what we take in from the world around us, life without the ability to see affects more than we can imagine. From personal growth and education to a healthy economy, our eyes play a role in our well-being and the overall well-being of society as a whole.

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates at least 2.2 billion people have some form of vision impairment, and at least 1 billion of these cases were preventable. In other words, something as simple as a pair of glasses or routine surgery could have saved the eyesight of countless people.

What role can we play in preventing this life-altering disability? Care. By taking the time to focus on the importance of eye health, we can take steps to prioritize eye care and make it accessible and affordable for all. This year on October 13, 2022, recognized as World Sight Day, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) encourages everyone around the world to #LoveYourEyes. Getting our eyes checked and treated in a timely manner, as well as facilitating this care for others, can have a global impact.

HHRD recognizes the importance of eye health and provides essential eye care to thousands in need. Free eye exams and surgery, along with medication and rehabilitation workshops, are made accessible through eye camps in Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Pakistan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa. Since 2011, with the support of donors, 16,567 free cataract operations have been performed; and this year, additional countries/territories will be added to support refugees and the needy in Jordan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sir Lanka, India, Kashmir Valley, and Gambia as well.

Our eyes are a blessing from Allah (swt). As with all blessings, we should be grateful.

"Allah has brought you forth from your mothers’ wombs when you knew nothing, and He made for you ears and eyes and hearts, so that you may be grateful." (An-Nahl: 78)

Be grateful--#LoveYourEyes and help others care for theirs. Donate at www.hhrd.org/Healthcare