"More Than Just Refraction": Redefining Community Awareness on World Sight Day 2025

In a vibrant fusion of clinical advocacy and creative innovation, the Department of Optometry marked World Sight Day on October 9, 2025. Guided by the global mandate “Love Your Eyes,” final-year students, under the mentorship of Dr. Maryam Jabbar (Lecturer, Department of Optometry), spearheaded a strategic awareness campaign designed to combat preventable blindness.

From Clinical Theory to Community Advocacy

The initiative challenged students to move beyond the examination room and into the role of public health educators. The project focused on the first and most critical pillar of eye care: awareness. Students conceptualized and produced a series of high-impact visual assets, including:

• “Love Your Eyes” Heart-Shaped Frames: Symbolic, tactile tools used to engage the community in conversations about visual health.
• Strategic Health Communications: Artistically designed posters and flyers highlighting the “silent” nature of refractive errors and the life-changing impact of early detection.
• Preventive Protocols: Visual guides focused on digital eye strain, pediatric eye care, and the necessity of annual comprehensive eye examinations.

Nurturing the “Advocate-Optometrist”

This project-based learning exercise transformed the classroom into a hub of social innovation. By translating complex optometric concepts into accessible public messages, students developed critical soft skills in health communication, community outreach, and professional empathy.