This year the Week of Vision, a nationwide information campaign, will be celebrating a special jubilee in Germany. Between the 8th and 15th October, under the motto of “Seeing what's feasible!”, eye doctors, international relief agencies and self-help organizations will join to run for the tenth time in a row a variety of activities designed to raise awareness of the importance of good vision. How can partial sight and blindness be prevented effectively in Germany and the world over? How can rehabilitation programs and technical devices make the daily lives of blind and partially sighted people easier? What is the impact if these aids fail to be provided?
Seeing what's feasible – even if you have partial sight!
The German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV), together with other self-help organizations, will demonstrate during the Week of Vision 2011 what possibilities exist for those who live with partial sight, if suitable rehabilitation programs and devices are used. They want to draw attention to the fact that something is wrong in the rehabilitation of those concerned and that many people in Germany suffer unnecessarily from the impact of partial sight. When the eyes grow weaker, many activities which previously could be done with ease and confidence need to be learnt anew, because optical control is missing. Delivering targeted consultation, specific training programs and technical devices tailored to clients' individual needs make it possible that a lot of things are feasible even if you are an individual with partial sight.
Seeing what's feasible – save eyesight worldwide!
The relief agencies participating also in the “Week of Vision”, Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM) and the German Committee on Prevention of Blindness (DKVB), are committed to prevent people in developing countries from going blind from curable or avoidable eye diseases. About 90 per cent of all blind people live in developing countries. Half of them suffer from cataracts which could be cured by surgery. A further 30 per cent would not need to become blind if they received timely help. Often blindness and partial sight are not congenital but linked to poverty. Where poverty prevails, preventive eye exams seem to be a luxury. However, with the onset of blindness, poverty will increase as a blind person will often not be able to provide for the family. Much can be prevented through ensuring a timely treatment - this is where CBM and DKVB step in to see what is feasible worldwide to save eyesight!
Seeing what's feasible – eye doctors are ensuring greater clarity!
Having good eye sight is not as self-evident as most people believe. In Germany an increasing number of people will be threatened by becoming blind or partially sighted. Our society is ageing and those eye disorders which account for the majority of cases of blindness will become more frequent with increasing age: glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. These diseases are especially malicious as patients do not notice any symptoms for a long time. If they do not see a doctor until they realize that their sight is deteriorating, irreversible damage often will have occurred. However, in many cases eye doctors are able to retain a good vision due to employing early detection and new therapies. This is why eye doctors will explain during the Week of Vision 2011 campaign the importance of early detection in order to prevent blindness and low vision where ever possible.
For further detailed information please contact Carolina Barrera at c.barrera@woche-des-sehens.de