When patients tell me why they want better vision, they seldom talk about the letters on an eye chart.
They want to read comfortably without reaching for glasses. They want to climb a mountain or go surfing and take in everything around them. They want to see the mountains clearly, or look out over the sea from Camps Bay and appreciate the view.
One patient told me how much it meant to see her grandchildren clearly.
These are the moments that remind me why sight matters. Improving vision can change something as ordinary as reading in bed, or something as precious as seeing the faces of the people we love.
World Sight Day also asks us to look beyond the patients who can readily reach an eye clinic. At least 2.2 billion people worldwide live with near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion cases, that impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed. For many people, access to an eye examination, spectacles or treatment remains out of reach.
As an ophthalmologist, I am grateful for the ways we can help protect and improve sight. Sometimes that means treating an eye condition. Sometimes it means helping someone understand their options and decide what is right for them. It always begins with listening to what they hope to see and do.
Two years ago, I wrote that vision means more than eyesight. I still believe that. My work reminds me to pause and notice what is in front of me: the mountains, the sea, and the people who give those views their meaning.
On World Sight Day, I hope we can appreciate the sight we have, listen to the experiences of people living with visual impairment, and support greater access to eye care. And perhaps we can all take a moment to truly see something we pass every day.
Dr Wilna Rautenbach