Nationwide appeal launched for World Sight Day

How would you feel if you lost your sight simply because you didn’t have enough money to pay for sight-saving treatment or surgery? For 90% of the world’s blind living in developing countries, this is unfortunately the situation.

Every five seconds someone in the world goes blind and every 60 seconds that person is a child.

Incredibly, around 75% of global blindness is preventable or treatable and as little as £20 can be all that’s needed to save the sight of someone in a developing country.

When asked how much people would pay to have their sight restored if they lost it, 70% of respondents said their sight was priceless and they couldn’t put a cost on it.

Furthermore, nearly three quarters of people say the thing they would miss the most if they were to lose their sight would be seeing their loved ones, with a third of men saying they would miss getting behind the wheel even more so than scenic beauty.

Celebrities who backed the campaign and answered some of the questions include Lorraine Kelly, Twiggy, Beverley Knight, Martin Clunes and Rory Bremner, who said “[I would miss] everything from the faces of my family and seeing my children grow up to enjoying sights and scenery and light."

For more information visit: sightsavers.org