(PRESS RELEASE) CHARENTON-LE-PONT, FRANCE — On the occasion of the 21st anniversary of World Sight Day, taking place on October 14th, EssilorLuxottica is rolling out its first campaign as a combined company to raise awareness about poor vision among children. The Company has collaborated with renowned Australian artist and illustrator Karan Singh to create bold, colorful and eyecatching visuals to highlight and reinforce the importance of eye health.
With 170 years of expertise in vision care, EssilorLuxottica has taken on the responsibility of leading the fight against poor vision and its consequences on individuals and society at large. Millions of children around the world still lack access to vision care, which jeopardizes their future by reducing their ability to learn, be safe and fulfill their potential. As an example, with half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, EssilorLuxottica believes the mobilization of all industry players is needed to raise awareness among parents and children, the first crucial step to fighting this epidemic.
To this end, the Group’s first common World Sight Day campaign aims to draw parents’ attention on the importance of regular eye exams early, and throughout their children’s lives, to help them thrive and achieve their dreams for the future. Pivotal to EssilorLuxottica’s campaign is the www.putvisionfirst.com website, which offers visitors the possibility to learn more on the importance of good vision for children’s health and future, as well as to take action through an accessible online vision-screening test.
In parallel, the Group’s Optical Retail brands, including LensCrafters in North America, Salmoiraghi & Viganò in Italy and OPSM in Australia, will participate in this mobilization by running a dedicated consumer campaign featuring works from the same artist.
“By collaborating with renowned artist Karan Singh for this impactful campaign, EssilorLuxottica reaffirms its commitment to bringing good vision to everyone and helping people see more, be more and live life to its fullest. As a global leader, we have the responsibility to do the heavy lifting in building a brighter future for future generations. This starts with raising global awareness about the importance of regular vision screenings and concrete initiatives to improve access to vision solutions. With these creative campaigns, we are taking another step forward to enable the adults of tomorrow to pursue their dreams without being limited by poor vision,” commented Francesco Milleri and Paul du Saillant, respectively CEO and Deputy CEO of EssilorLuxottica.
Karan Singh added: “I have been deeply inspired by EssilorLuxottica’s powerful ‘Put Their Vision First’ call-to-action and, through my art, I have tried to deliver a similarly strong message about vision care. In everything I do there is a playful interpretation of minimalism, particularly focusing on depth and dimension through pattern and repetition. Art with purpose is what I believe in and that is why I am delighted to have contributed to these powerful campaigns.”
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EssilorLuxottica’s philanthropic partners, including the Essilor Vision Foundation, Vision For Life and OneSight, are also deploying a range of local initiatives to ease access to screening and raise awareness on poor vision internationally. The Essilor Vision Foundation rolls out a number of initiatives in France, China, the United States, Latin America, and India: from providing vision screenings and eyeglasses at no cost to children in need, to organizing fundraising campaigns and dedicated classroom events in local schools, like the Kids Vision Fest in the US or an educational 3D book distribution to pupils in China. Alongside the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindless (IAPB), OneSight will promote the organization’s campaign engaging over 1 million people to have their vision tested. As such, IAPB will contribute to 25,000 check-ups in South Africa and the United States.
EssilorLuxottica’s initiatives on World Sight Day are part of the Group’s comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility roadmap, in which the elimination of uncorrected poor vision by 2050 represents a key ambition. For more details, visit: here.
