Campaigns as Catalysts

At IAPB, we know that real change happens when global ambition meets local action. It’s why the Activate pillar of our 2030 In Sight strategy sits at the heart of everything we do in communications, campaigns, and events. For better policies and health care systems, people everywhere need to care and demand more. 

The reality is that eye health is a universal issue, and we must activate universal demand. We are working on activating that demand by educating and empowering people to be more aware of what they can do to look after their eyes. 

That’s where campaigns like #LoveYourEyes come into play. More than a hashtag, it’s a rallying cry connecting our members, communities, clinics, and countries around a shared mission to make eye care accessible, available and affordable for all. 

In previous years, every pledge to #LoveYourEyes was a personal commitment, and collectively, these pledges have power. In the last four years, over 25 million people have been inspired to test their eyes. In Nigeria, these pledges provided the momentum for advocacy that led to conversations with government on prioritising school screenings. In India, World Sight Day was a catalyst for community screenings reaching thousands, building momentum for discussions on financing eye care services at the state level. Campaigns are not just moments in time; they can translate community-level engagement into system-level change. 

We know that the path to universal eye health looks different in every country, community, and context. Our role is to create campaigns and tools that can be adapted locally while aligning with our shared global objectives. Whether it’s a vision screening at a workplace, or a social media challenge that encourages people to share their stories, these actions add up. They raise awareness, increase demand for services, and send a clear message to decision-makers that people value their eye health and expect action. 

#LoveYourEyes and World Sight Day prove that campaigns work best when they’re not just IAPBs, but yours, too. Around the world, we see our members and global partners using #LoveYourEyes to anchor conversations and bring eye health into broader discussions. Others use World Sight Day materials to host screenings at parliament buildings, capturing the attention of policymakers while providing immediate services to those who need them. These efforts are not separate from our strategy—they are the strategy in action. 

As we move toward World Sight Day 2025 and continue to build momentum ahead of the first Global Summit for Eye Health, we invite you to see campaigns as tools for your advocacy, too. Use them to engage your networks, start conversations with decision-makers, and keep eye health visible in your community. 

Together, we can turn #LoveYourEyes into a collective force for change. Because when people everywhere love their eyes, governments will take notice and act.