Iconic photographer Rankin has created a series of striking portrait photographs to highlight the reasons why two thirds of blind people in the world are women. The campaign by Sightsavers has been launched to coincide with World Sight Day on Thursday 8th October 2009, to help raise awareness of the plight of these blind women living in developing counties.
Rankin has used a selection of world reknowned make-up artists for the photos, many of whom work day to day on fashion shows and glossy magazines. Sightsavers aim is to show that eye tests, glasses, medication and surgery, something typically taken for granted by many women, is not available to everyone around the globe. Women living in developing countries may not be able to have medical assistance due to cost, illiteracy and the distance between themselves and possible facilities. There are now over 20 million women worldwide who are needlessly blind, something Rankin and Sightsavers intend to highlight and help end.
Rankin, who has worked on a previous campaign with Sightsavers, commented –
I can’t imagine what it must be like to be blind and I can’t even begin to comprehend the distress it causes. What is most upsetting is that so much is treatable, and people suffer unnecessarily. With so many women affected by blindness, the work of Sightsavers is of vital importance. They are reaching people who often have no access to help, and taking the inequality out of treatment.
For less than the average cost of a tube of mascara, Sightsavers health charity are able to provide simple surgery to help restore a woman’s sight. Thanks to their work in over 30 developing countries, they are helping to prevent and cure blindness whilst also supporting those who are irreversibly blind since 1980. Sightsavers and their partners last year –
- Treated over 3.7 million people for potentially blinding conditions
- Carried out 274,178 sight-restoring cataract operations
- Provided training and support to 8,670 people who are irreversibly blind
Thanks to charitable donations, every year Sightsavers train over 50,000 people to become volunteers, teachers, nurses and specialist surgeons to cure people who have reversible eye conditions and prevent people from becoming blind.
To view the full series of excellent Rankin photographs and learn more about what Sightsavers is doing to help combat the burden of blindness carried by women, visit –
