Eye health is often considered only when clear problems arise. Yet many ocular conditions can progress for years without symptoms, while risk factors contributing to visual risk are now part of daily life: the time spent in front of screens, more sedentary habits and less outdoor activity among youth, but also the aging of the population and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases.
From this perspective, World Sight Day 2026 takes on meaning, promoted in Italy by the Fondazione IAPB Italia ETS – which enjoys the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Republic. The message is simple yet highly concrete: sight is not a heritage to protect only when problems first appear, but a function to safeguard throughout the entire lifespan. The initiative, presented on October 1 in Rome at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Health, will bring on October 8 screenings, consultations and information activities in over 90 Italian cities.
An Aging Population, Greater Exposure to Vision Risk
Prevention carries particular weight in a country known for longevity like Italy. According to IAPB Italia, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy represent a substantial portion of chronic-degenerative eye diseases associated with aging and affect more than 3 million people in our country. Early diagnosis and timely access to care can help reduce the burden of visual disability.
The picture, however, is global: according to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people live with vision impairment and, in at least 1 billion cases, the problem could be prevented or has not yet been adequately addressed.
Protecting sight therefore involves a set of interventions across the different life stages: recognizing risk factors, undergoing the indicated checks, correcting refractive errors and adopting behaviors favorable to eye health.
Myopia as a Signal Among the Young
A particularly significant example comes from the youngest generation. The prevalence of myopia has risen rapidly over the past few decades: according to data reported by IAPB Italia, globally it affected about one child or adolescent in four in 1990, while by 2023 the figure approached 36%; for 2050 the estimate is about 40%, equal to 740 million people. Among the factors cited are lifestyle changes, more time spent in indoor environments and increasing exposure to digital screens.
The data thus invites a look at visual health beyond the ophthalmology clinic. The issue is not only about screen time, but about the overall balance between near-work activities, time spent outdoors and daily habits. The WHO indeed identifies modifiable risk factors among the elements that will contribute to the growth of myopia in the coming years.
A Campaign That Seeks to Be Seen Even by Those Who Cannot See
It is precisely the need to turn prevention into an accessible, everyday message that the 2026 IAPB Italia campaign focuses on. The chosen symbol is the pearl, precious and delicate, to be guarded carefully: an image that evokes the value of sight and the need to protect it over time. The campaign also takes shape through a mural created by artist Jerico at 10 Via Galvani, in the Testaccio district of Rome, designed to bring an awareness message about eye health into public space.
But there is one element that reverses the very meaning of a visual campaign: the mural is tactile. «An artwork so beautiful that a blind person can perceive it», emphasized Mario Barbuto, president of IAPB Italia and of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired. The work thus becomes not only a communication tool but a concrete reminder that prevention must speak to everyone. «Sight cannot simply be preserved; it must be safeguarded for life».
From Awareness to Screening
The decisive step, however, remains moving from awareness to action. For this reason World Sight Day is not limited to communication: on October 8 IAPB Italia will promote, with the collaboration of the regional structures of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, screenings, consultations and health-education moments in over 90 Italian cities.
The logic is that of preventive medicine that does not wait for damage to occur before intervening. Because vision, as the campaign reminds, is a resource that accompanies learning, work, autonomy and social relationships. And precisely for this reason its protection cannot be entrusted solely to correcting a defect or treating a disease: it starts much earlier, in daily choices and in the ability not to postpone a check.
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