Eye See You Program

About the World Summit on Social Development

The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, decided to convene the “World Social Summit” in 2025, under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development” to be held in Doha, Qatar from 4-6 November.

The Summit will convene heads of State or Government, along with other leaders and CSOs, to address gaps and recommit to the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action and its implementation and give momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Advancing Healthy Ageing as a Cornerstone of Social Development

As populations age at unprecedented rates, the global community faces a decisive moment: will we adapt policies and systems to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to age with dignity, health, and voice, or risk leaving millions behind? Our work demonstrates that investing in healthy ageing strengthens entire societies, from resilient health systems and inclusive labour markets to sustainable urban development and intergenerational solidarity. The ageing agenda must be a core component of the sustainable development agenda.

Every year, more than 50,000 Canadians will lose their sight. As we age, and diabetes and obesity continue to rise, the incidence of vision loss is expected to escalate by nearly 30% over the next decade. For many Canadians, vision loss is preventable if they are aware of the importance of regular comprehensive eye exams and maintaining vision health across the life course. Many age-related and other vision impairments are treatable but only if the appropriate treatments are available, accessible and delivered in a timely manner.

However, the authority of physicians and autonomy of patients to make decisions about the treatment for certain eye conditions (e.g. retinal diseases) is being restricted due to the increased bureaucratic mandates and cost pressures.

Since 2016, the Eye See You program has evolved to include multiple awareness and advocacy campaigns to promote the vision health of all Canadians by empowering physicians to choose the optimal treatment for retinal diseases based on scientific evidence and conversation with patients and ensuring that patients are better informed about the importance of regular eye screenings, the symptomatology of eye diseases, as well as the availability of effective treatment options, and receive the best therapy as a results.