What is the theme for World Sight Day 2024? Are teachers and students in Vietnam entitled to a day off on World Sight Day?

What is the theme for World Sight Day 2024?

World Sight Day was first organized in 1998 to raise global awareness about blindness, vision impairment, and vision rehabilitation. This initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) aims to remind everyone of the importance of eye protection and treatment for visually impaired patients.

In 2024, World Sight Day will take place on October 10, 2024, with the theme: "Prioritizing Children's Eye Care" which aims to emphasize the importance of eye health care for children, allowing them to cherish their vision. World Sight Day is held annually on the second Thursday of October, aiming to focus global attention on the issues of blindness and vision impairment.

Thus, the theme for World Sight Day 2024 is “Prioritizing Children's Eye Care”.

What is the theme for World Sight Day 2024? Are teachers and students in Vietnam entitled to a day off on World Sight Day? (Image from the Internet)

Are teachers and students in Vietnam entitled to a day off on World Sight Day?

According to Article 112 of the Labor Code 2015, employees shall be entitled to fully paid days off on the following public holidays:

Public holidays

1. Employees shall be entitled to fully paid days off on the following public holidays:

a) Gregorian Calendar New Year Holiday: 01 day (the 1st of January of the Gregorian calendar);

b) Lunar New Year Holidays: 05 days;

c) Victory Day: 01 day (the 30th of April of the Gregorian calendar);

d) International Labor Day: 01 day (the 1st of May of the Gregorian calendar);

dd) National Day: 02 days (the 2nd of September of the Gregorian calendar and the previous or next day);

e) Hung Kings Commemoration Day: 01 day (the 10th of the third month of the Lunar calendar).

2. Foreign employees in Vietnam are entitled to 01 traditional public holiday and 01 National Day of their country, in addition to the public holidays stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article.

3. The Prime Minister shall decide the specific public holidays mentioned in Point b and Point dd Clause 1 of this Article on an annual basis.

Thus, World Sight Day is not among the holidays on which employees shall be entitled to fully paid days off on the following public holidays according to regulations. Therefore on this day, teachers and students still have to teach and study as usual.

What is the 20-20-20 rule for protecting the eyes of preschool children in Vietnam?

According to sub-section 3.2, Section 3, Part 1 of the Guidebook for school medical staff on eye care and prevention of vision impairment for children in preschool educational institutions issued with Decision 56/QD-BGDDT 2023:

GENERAL MATTERS ABOUT SCHOOL HEALTHCARE IN EYE CARE AND PREVENTION OF VISION IMPAIRMENT FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

3. Risk factors affecting eye vision in preschool children

...

3.2. Preventing eye diseases and disorders

a) For the school

- Increase outdoor play activities for children.

- Implement the 20-20-20 rule: close focus for 20 minutes, look far for 20 seconds at a distance of 20 feet (approximately 6 meters).

- Organize vision screening at least once a year; children with refractive errors should have their eyesight checked at least every 6 months.

- When practicing drawing or coloring, teachers help children sit upright and properly without leaning their face close to the table, maintaining a distance from eyes to table about one elbow-length of the child.

- Ensure adequate lighting in the classroom.

- For children attending full-day, ensure a nutritionally adequate diet, particularly in vitamin A.

- Teachers guide and help children maintain personal hygiene, ensuring each child has a separate face towel, washes face with clean water, and washes hands with soap, avoiding rubbing eyes with hands.

- Do not let children play with sharp objects.

Thus, preschools implement the 20-20-20 rule of close focus for 20 minutes, looking far for 20 seconds at a distance of 20 feet (approximately 6 meters) to protect eyes and prevent eye diseases and disorders.

What are the causes and risk factors for eye diseases and disorders in preschool children in Vietnam?

According to sub-section 3.1, Section 3, Part 1 of the Guidebook for school medical staff on eye care and prevention of vision impairment for children in preschool educational institutions issued with Decision 56/QD-BGDDT 2023, some causes and risk factors for eye diseases and disorders in preschool children include:

(1) Eye Diseases

- Dry eye disease: Often due to vitamin A deficiency, with main causes including:

+ Dietary deficiency in animal and plant-based nutrients.

+ Lack of dietary fats.

+ Prolonged diarrhea causing malabsorption or infections leading to poor appetite.

+ Infants lacking vitamin A often due to not being breastfed or early weaning.

- Trachoma: Caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, with bacteria present in eye secretions, tears, and even nasal mucus of the infected person. Direct contact with these secretions poses a very high risk of infection. It can be indirectly transmitted via shared items like face towels, wash basins, pillows, or through flies.

- Acute conjunctivitis: Usually caused by viruses or bacteria, can be transmitted through hand-eye contact or respiratory routes.

- Corneal ulceration: Due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites.

(2) Eye Disorders

- Refractive errors: Common in confined spaces with insufficient visual conditions (excessive near work, inadequate lighting, inadequate eye rest; improper sitting posture, unsuitable desks and chairs for the child's height).

- Strabismus (squint): Congenital or due to ocular conditions like high refractive errors or two eyes' refractive misalignment not corrected with glasses, or disorders causing reduced vision in one or both eyes.

- Ptosis: Congenital or post-eye injury.

- Lagophthalmos: Post-eye injury.

- Chalazion, stye: Inflammation, blockage of eyelid margin glands.

- Trichiasis, entropion: Due to abnormal eyelid structure causing eyelash not to turn outwards but into the eyeball; trichiasis and entropion often occur as a complication of trachoma, eye injury, or scarring from other causes.

(3) Eye Injuries

- Eye injury: Often due to children playing, fighting, domestic accidents, traffic accidents,…

- Foreign body: Eye injury due to foreign objects such as dust entering the eye.

- Eye burns: Eye injury from chemicals, boiling water splashes, fire,…

(4) Lack of or no clean water; children's hygiene habits; nutrition policies and vitamin A supplementation.