(PRESS RELEASE) MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Pearle Vision and OneSight understand that access to high quality eyecare is critical to help children unlock their true potential and achieve their dreams. That’s why they have come together to launch a new program, ABSee, powered by Pearle Vision and OneSight. ABSee will provide no-cost access to eyecare and corrective eyewear to children in need in neighborhoods across North America where Pearle Vision EyeCare Centers are located.
On World Sight Day, volunteers from Pearle Vision, one of the largest optical retailers in North America, and OneSight, a global vision care nonprofit, will work together to provide eye exams and glasses to hundreds of students at Earle Brown Elementary School in Brooklyn Center, MN, at the first of 10 planned vision care clinics. World Sight Day, coordinated by The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, is held annually on the second Thursday in October to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.
Over the next 12 months, ABSee will bring vision care clinics to cities from Atlanta to Seattle and from Toronto to Puerto Rico. At these clinics, volunteers will conduct vision tests and optometrists will perform eye exams on board a state-of-the-art mobile vision unit.
“Pearle Vision has been a long-time supporter of OneSight, and we are thrilled to bring our relationship to the next level with ABSee,” said Alex Wilkes, general manager of Pearle Vision. “We know that getting a pair of glasses can be life-changing for a child with a vision problem. With ABSee, we are underscoring our longstanding commitment to caring about the people behind the eyes, ensuring that every child, especially those with financial need, has access to quality eye care and corrective eyewear.”
One in four school-age children in the U.S. has an undiagnosed vision care problem, according to the American Optometric Association. Because 80 percent of learning is visual for children, it can become a challenge for students to achieve their full potential in school and in life.
Pearle Vision was founded by Dr. Stanley Pearle, whose mandate was, “Take care of the people.” Pearle Vision has long prided itself on doing just that, inspiring trust in its patients and adopting the now-iconic slogan, “Nobody cares for eyes more than Pearle.”
Wilkes said, “Every day, we see patients in our EyeCare Centers who have vision care needs, and we are there to help them see more clearly. But if we truly are the brand that cares for eyes more than anyone else, we also have an obligation to improve the lives of the community outside our doors, and especially for the most vulnerable members of that community. ABSee provides an excellent opportunity for us to do that.”
“OneSight is proud to partner with Pearle Vision to bring clear sight to students in need across our local communities,” said K-T Overbey, OneSight president and executive director. “We believe everyone deserves access to clear sight and by working together, we can help students see and learn to their potential this school year and beyond.”
In addition to Pearle Vision’s corporate support for ABSee, patients visiting EyeCare Centers will be invited to support the program.
For more information about ABSee, please visit pearlevision.com/ABSee.