(PRESS RELEASE) JACKSONVILLE, FL and SANTA ANA, CA — Sight is our most valued sense. It allows us to uniquely connect with life’s moments – and with each other. Yet more than 1.3 billion people around the world suffer from visual impairment, 80% of which can be prevented or corrected. That’s why in honor of World Sight Day on October 10, 2019, Johnson & Johnson Vision has launched a worldwide campaign to share the untold stories of eye care professionals, patients, and organizations who are inspiring the elevation of eye health as a global priority and demonstrating how the world is #ConnectedBySight.
“At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we have a bold ambition to improve the trajectory of eye health,” said Shlomi Nachman, company group chairman, Cardiovascular Specialty Solutions and Johnson & Johnson Vision. “That’s something we can’t accomplish alone. We have to support organizations driving positive change and connect eye care professionals and the public with education and ways to support making sight accessible to all.”
Through its ongoing support of Lions Clubs International Foundation’s Sight for Kids and Himalayan Cataract Project, Johnson & Johnson Vision has committed to provide 100,000 children with access to vision screenings and 1,000 sight-restoring surgeries to cataract patients. The public will also have opportunities to get involved—Johnson & Johnson Vision will be donating $1 for photos uploaded to the company’s Donate A Photo app to these two initiatives.
During the week leading up to World Sight Day, the company will share the untold stories of eye care professionals, patients, and organizations who are inspiring the elevation of eye health as a global priority and demonstrating how the world is #ConnectedBySight. The aim is not only to raise awareness, but drive people to action, whether that be to see an eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam, share the stories Johnson & Johnson Vision highlights or their own, or join in supporting the worthy eye health programs Sight for Kids via Lions Club International Foundation and Himalayan Cataract Project. In addition, many employees will be serving in their local communities via fundraising events, bringing eye health education to local schools, and more – all to support the broader global call-to-action of jointly driving awareness for the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
“The needs are great — more than 19 million children are visually impaired,” said Gudrun Yngvadottir, chairperson of the Lions Club International Foundation. “Together we can transform small actions into life-long impacts for eye health. The #ConnectedBySight and Donate a Photo campaigns are raising awareness and engagement and also mobilizing support for much needed community and school eye health outreach like our Sight for Kids program.”
“Needless and preventable blindness is one public health problem we can win with the help of our partners,” said Dr. Geoff Tabin, chairman and Co-Founder of Himalayan Cataract Project. “We are grateful to Johnson & Johnson Vision for their ongoing support and look forward to being a part of the meaningful Donate a Photo program.”
Participants can post up to one photo per day using the free Johnson & Johnson Donate a Photo app. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends on December 31, 2019. Users without smart phones or who are outside the U.S. can also be part of the solution by posting their photos and commenting using #ConnectedBySight on social media.