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News / 2030 IN SIGHT: The impact of eye health on sustainable development

2030 IN SIGHT: The impact of eye health on sustainable development

11.10.2023
A woman smiles in a field, wearing a bandage over one eye. Restoring vision loss can help provide food security, one of the sustainable development goals.
Working towards food security (SDG 2). Vison loss and blindness among agricultural workers and rural farmers causes a ripple effect that touches not only families, but entire communities. Fewer hands working the fields results in lower household income, less food reaching the market and more people going hungry.
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Light for the World attends the 2030 IN SIGHT photo exhibition, launched on 10 October at the UN Headquarters in New York. The exhibition challenges viewers to consider the impact of eye health on sustainable development outcomes.

Vision and the Sustainable Development Goals

Accessible, inclusive and affordable eye health is essential to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

According to the World Health Organisation, at present more than 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment and at least 1.1 billion of these people suffer from avoidable sight loss. The world faces considerable challenges in terms of eye care, including inequalities in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services; a shortage of trained eye care service providers; and a lack of integrated eye care services into health systems. 

The UN General Assembly Resolution on Vision – the first of its kind – was adopted in 2021 and commits all 193 countries of the UN to tackle preventable vision loss and ensure eye care for everyone by 2030.

A woman and a girl walk through a field, carrying buckets of water on their heads. Access to clean water and sanitation is critical to preventing the spread of eye infections, which is sustainable development goal 6.
Stopping infection. Access to clean water and sanitation (SDG6) is critical to preventing the spread of eye infections like trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. © Ulrich Eigner / Light for the World 

A picture is worth a thousand words

Endorsed by Friends of Vision, World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), a new photo exhibition highlights the importance of achieving this goal. 

This immersive exhibition makes it clear that reaching our Sustainable Development Goals is in sight if eye health lies at the heart of our transformative efforts to ensure a better future for all.

H.E. Ambassador Walton Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations Founder & Co-chair of the UN Friends of Vision Group

Light for the World is proud to display two images, taken by photographer Ulrich Eigner, which illustrate the impact of eye health on sustainable development, including food security and health. 

Herta Kriegner, Light for the World USA Board Member, was pleased to represent Light for the World at the launch event.

The exhibition will run from 9 to 23 October 2023. 

Herta Kriegner looks at a exhibition of photos. She is wearing a long coat and has her hair tied back.

Herta Kriegner takes in the pictures at the exhibit in New York.

Two women are holding a sign saying

Herta Kriegner adds her name to the call for a UN Special Envoy on Vision.

Working together

“Strengthening eye care within Universal Health Coverage will improve the lives of millions of people globally,” says Marion Lieser, CEO of Light for the World.

“Light for the World knows that this can only be done through strong partnerships and collaboration – across the eye health sector, local communities, national governments, NGOs and beyond. 

As an organisation, we congratulate and thank IAPB, Friends of Vision and the WHO for this exhibition, which again, brings us closer together.”

Visit the online photo exhibition on the IAPB website: 2030 IN SIGHT. 

Find out more about Light for the World’s eye health programmes.

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An ophthalmologist standing in front of a crowd of people looking and smiling at the camera.

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