Glaucoma Australia’s newly launched 7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge fundraising initiative encourages Australians to share a photo of an amazing sight every day for seven days this World Glaucoma Week (6–12 March 2022).
The new fundraising initiative which is part of Glaucoma Australia’s annual Treat your Eyes campaign, is asking Australians to capture everyday moments to remind them sight is precious while raising much-needed funds for early detection programs and critical support services.
Individuals and teams will be prompted to find, snap and share seven ‘sights’ during World Glaucoma Week, with daily themes such as ‘quirky’, ‘artistic’ and ‘culture’ to inspire their creativity. The challenge is designed to encourage people to get out and about, explore the visual beauty of their local area and raise money for an important cause.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The disease affects 300,000 Australians, with 50 per cent unaware that they have the disease because they haven’t had a comprehensive eye exam. There is no cure for glaucoma and vision loss is irreversible, making early detection and treatment key to saving sight.
Glaucoma Australia CEO Annie Gibbins says, “Anyone can develop glaucoma and the risk increases with age. About one in 10,000 babies are born with glaucoma; by age 40 about one in 200 have glaucoma, rising to one in eight at age 80. Sight is incredibly precious and all too often, it’s something people don’t think about until something goes wrong. But Australians have the power to save their sight by getting their eyes tested and raising funds for ground-breaking research, education and support programs.
“The Treat Your Eyes campaign began as an awareness initiative highlighting the importance of getting an eye check to identify the early signs of glaucoma. The inaugural 7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge is amplifying that sight-saving message by asking the community to get creative and fundraise so that we can take glaucoma out of the picture.”
Glaucoma Australia ambassador and Aussie music legend Kirk Pengilly is throwing his support behind the 7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge. He says it’s a potent reminder that your sight enables you to do things you may take for granted, such as going for a run, riding a bike, snapping a photo or simply seeing your loved ones.
“Vision loss is largely preventable through early detection, treatment adherence and by supporting the work of our Australian researchers in the fight against this insidious disease,” says Ms Gibbins.
To find out more about the 7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge and to register, visit: www.sevensights.org.au
