By Fatma Younis
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore heart-shaped novelty glasses on Monday to highlight the global drive against avoidable blindness at the inaugural Global Summit for Eye Health in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda. As global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, she told delegates that treating avoidable blindness is as imperative as any other health challenge.
Summit secures major commitments
The summit, held alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, secured more than US$1 billion in government pledges, along with promises to provide 68 million glasses and perform 13 million cataract surgeries worldwide.
Royal visit coincides with King and Queen tour
The duchess’s brief trip coincided with the King and Queen’s official tour of the Caribbean nation, though the royals did not meet due to busy schedules. Sophie also visited an eye clinic supported by the Cure Blindness Project, meeting Antiguan nurses who recently completed specialist ophthalmic training.
