India Vision Institute in partnership with the Australian Consulate in Mumbai organised this event
To raise awareness about the need to eradicate ‘preventable’ blindness, noted actress and social activist, Nandita Das, led the ‘Walk in the Dark‘ as chief guest at Worli Sea Face, Mumbai on 20th March 2016. An initiative of the India Vision Institute (IVI) to create awareness about the importance of eye care, the Walk was organised in partnership with the Australian Consulate in Mumbai.
Walking blindfolded and led by visually impaired students, Das was joined by Australian Consul General Mark Pierce; IVI CEO, Vinod Daniel and Lawrence and Mayo Director, Vivek Mendonsa. Over 700 students, opinion makers and people from all walks of life also enthusiastically participated in the walk to spread the message of eye care.
“’Walk in the Dark’ draws attention towards uncorrected refractive error and how a pair of spectacles can improve vision enabling adults to get back to work and children to learn and perform better”, said Vinod Daniel. It is estimated that over 80 per cent of global visual impairment is preventable or treatable with uncorrected refractive error being one of the major causes of blindness worldwide he added.
“The over-whelming response to the Walk from various stake-holders and civil society will certainly help in spreading the message of eradicating ‘avoidable’ blindness through timely vision correction”, said Mark Pierce. “Children in particular mostly learn through visual interpretation of information, and therefore it is important that children have good eyesight’’, he added.
Nandita Das said she was delighted to lead the walk especially since it highlights the issue of preventable blindness which she is passionate about.
Among those walking blindfolded were students from the National Association for the Blind, Smt Kamla Mehta School For The Blind, Nayan Foundation, Salvation Army Working Blind Men’s Hostel, SNDT Womens University, ITM Mumbai, Krishna Eye Centre, Lotus college of Optometry, Hari Jyot College of Optometry as well as several local optometry practitioners, opticians and representatives of the eye care industry.
