World Sight Day - October 8

October 8, 2009 – World Sight Day

Can you imagine if all the people in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta were blind?  That’s how many people worldwide – 18 million - who are unnecessarily blind from cataracts (a clouding of the lens).

For only $33, cbm Canada can transform the life of a person living in poverty with a simple cataract surgery.

In just 12 minutes, a person who hasn’t seen in years is rescued from a lifetime of blindness trapped in poverty and is given the gift of sight and life.

“Cataract surgery can provide the most dramatic, overnight change in a person’s life who is living with blindness in extreme poverty,” says Ed Epp, Executive Director of cbm Canada. “It has an enormous immediate impact on the economic viability of an entire family.”

Coordinated by the International Association for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), World Sight Day (WSD) is a day of awareness held annually on the second Thursday of October. Its goal is to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.

• 80% of blindness is avoidable - either treatable, curable or preventable
• 90% of blind people live in low-income countries
• Nearly two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women & girls
• Cataract is the leading cause of blindness – yet it is curable by a simple, cost-effective operation

Celebrate World Sight Day by giving the gift of sight for only $33 at www.100000miracles.org