In the UK two million people are living with sight loss, and someone begins to lose their sight every fifteen minutes - by 2050 there will be almost four million Brits suffering from sight loss. With 90% of Brits saying that sight is the sense they most fear losing, it is apparent that eye loss can be extremely debilitating and in some cases can affect sufferer�s lives to the extreme. Almost half (46%) of blind and partially sighted people have given up hobbies and interests because of their condition, and four in ten (38%) have not been on holiday in the last five years.

In developing countries, blindness is both a cause and result of poverty, as malnutrition, poor water quality and sanitation places both adults and children at a much higher risk of eye disease. 39 million people in the world are blind, yet 80% could see again if they had access to the right eye care. Every five seconds one person in the world goes blind, and a child goes blind every minute - in developing countries up to 60% of the children die within a year of becoming blind, either from the condition that caused the blindness or from inadequate care.

Trachoma is an infectious blinding disease, known as the 'disease of poverty' as it is spread by flies, poor sanitation and human contact and is most prevalent in mothers due to their close contact with their children. Simple surgery and antibiotics can stop trachoma in its tracks, but in developing countries, this is often an unrealistic option. ORBIS charity is dedicated to blindness prevention in developing countries and operates the world's first Flying Eye Hospital; a DC-10 wide-body aircraft converted into an innovative teaching eye hospital. This World Sight Day (13th October), ORBIS has teamed up with Jemma Kidd to raise awareness of the effects of blindness further away from home.