(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, FRANCE — The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation has created sustainable access to eyecare for millions of people in underserved communities. On the occasion of World Sight Day on October 13, EssilorLuxottica and its Foundation will reaffirm their commitment through a multi-pronged awareness campaign titled “The Right to See.” The campaign also includes a series of activations aimed at delivering vision care to those who need it globally.
Today, 2.7 billion people around the world – including an estimated 1 in 3 children – are affected by uncorrected poor vision. The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation aims to accelerate EssilorLuxottica’s mission of helping people “”see more, be more,” and its ambition to help eliminate uncorrected poor vision in a generation.
For World Sight Day, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation partners with world-renowned American photographer Steve McCurry, who provided the powerful portraits of two children that can be seen across the Foundation’s and EssilorLuxottica’s digital eco-systems. The campaign will be supported across EssilorLuxottica’s portfolio of brands, business units and employee network around the world.
“Good vision is a basic human right and existing solutions have the potential to solve 80% of all vision problems in the world,” said Francesco Milleri, chairman and CEO, and Paul du Saillant, deputy CEO at EssilorLuxottica. “It is with this conviction and knowledge that we created the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation earlier this year, to accelerate our mission. With “The Right to See,” the Foundation is showing its determination to act as a strong advocate for the vision cause, while delivering on concrete actions to bring vision care to those in need. Together with our 180,000 people, we rally around the Foundation this World Sight Day to become truly one and demonstrate the impact we can have together.”
“We know seeing well improves everything in life, from an individual’s health, education and work opportunities to the sustainable development of local communities and economies. As the largest vision care foundation, we are taking the vision care crisis head-on, committed to using all our resources to ensure every human sees a bright future, starting with the world’s youngest citizens,” said Anurag Hans, head of EssilorLuxottica Mission & Head of OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. “This is why we’re excited to launch ‘The Right to See,’ which will help those throughout the world who are most in need of access to vision, to see more and be more.”
In addition to raising awareness about the importance of good vision, “The Right to See” includes the following activities and partnerships:
World Sight Day Activities
In the month leading up to this year’s World Sight Day on October 13, together with its local partners in different communities, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation plans to impact more than 350,000 kids and adults with vision care services. Planned free vision screenings and clinics will be held all over the world, including in North America, Europe, Africa, India, Greater China, Southeast Asia and Australia. The aim is providing access to eye care and glasses for as many people as possible.
To raise greater awareness and engagement with the public, especially parents, and policy-makers, the Foundation will host engagement opportunities including public-facing social media activations and a vision screening event among United Nations Ambassadors and leaders, in partnership with Friends of Vision group of United Nations Member States that the Foundation will help facilitate.
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation has partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) for its 2022 World Sight Day programs and will be a key contributor to the IAPB’s global World Sight Day goal of reaching five million people with vision care services throughout the world.
New Partnerships
As part of “The Right to See,” the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation announces a new partnership with Berkeley Vision Institute. The One School at a Time campaign is a partnership aimed at reaching millions of school children worldwide through partner-led vision screening events and the development of sustainable school eye health programs and awareness creation across the globe.
Additional partnerships with likeminded organizations dedicated to reducing the burden of poor vision around the world are underway and will be announced in the near future. To learn more or participate in the Foundation’s mission, strategic pillars and impact to date, visit here or follow its social media channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.