Sydney, Australia, 29 October 2016: The four years since the last General Assembly seems to have flown by in a blink of the eye and we are proud to partner the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) at 10th General Assembly (10GA) especially with the theme ‘Stronger Together’ being so close to our own key values.

So as we take our places in the auditoriums for the sessions of 10GA, we are keen to engage and maximise the opportunities of sharing information and exchanging ideas with the global forum of people collectively involved in the fight against vision impairment and avoidable blindness.

We recognise the importance of working together with existing health systems to build sustainable eye care systems in collaboration. Being part of the broader development agenda is a logical fit for public health eye care programs and our global strategy is influenced by local and cultural understanding.

Our global eye care communities heralded “Stronger Together” in a colourful display of events and screenings to celebrate this year’s World Sight Day 2016. The countries celebrating include South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Eritrea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, China, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Nicaragua.

Celebrations included the launch of new programs in South Africa and Nigeria; students from the first optometry course in Uganda screening 900 local children; Malawi launched a new vision centre campaign; and Kenya’s paediatric refraction students provided eye exams and spectacles.

Papua New Guinea celebrated community care in their new eye health resource centre; a first eye care press conference in Cambodia attracted over 150 officials; in Vietnam celebrations attracted 200 attendees from the eye health sector; women and girls were the focus in Pakistan where the optometry students screened the local community; and in Australia the celebrations reached even the remotest communities providing regular access and link with a diabetic super clinic.

Please scroll through and enjoy our colourful photo gallery “Stronger Together”…