What is the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation?
One in three people around the world has trouble seeing clearly due to uncorrected refractive errors. Unfortunately, the majority of those people have limited access to vision care. The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation aims to provide free eye exams and glasses to those in need.
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation believes that everyone has the right to clear vision. This belief fuels their mission to help people see more and be more. Read on to learn about the history of the foundation and how you can get involved.
Foundation history
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation helps underserved communities with vision care. It is the result of two non-profit organizations coming together to make a greater impact:
OneSight – OneSight was first established by Luxottica in 1988. It started as a program for giving glasses to people who cannot afford them. It grew to become a major nonprofit organization, providing vision care to millions of individuals worldwide.
Essilor Vision Foundation – The Essilor Vision Foundation was founded in 2007 by Essilor. It focused on providing free vision screenings, exams and glasses to children in need. The foundation sought to educate the public about eye health and provided over a million pairs of glasses to those in underserved communities.
Essilor and Luxottica merged to become EssilorLuxottica in 2018. In 2022, the company launched the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, unifying OneSight, the Essilor Vision Foundation and other organizations. The foundation is now headquartered in France with offices located around the globe.
Importance of clear vision
Being able to see clearly affects many parts of a person's life, including school and work. It can also affect their overall health and happiness along with other factors. Unfortunately, millions of people lack access to basic vision care and cannot reach their full potential due to poor eyesight.
According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion individuals worldwide have a vision impairment affecting their near or distance vision. These impairments have yet to be treated or could have been avoided in nearly half of these cases.
Reach and impact of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation aims to make vision care more accessible. It has made an impact on many lives around the world through the following efforts:
Areas of focus
A lack of access can make it hard to get vision care. The foundation tries to fix this by creating the following solutions:
Training and support – It provides training and support to help individuals establish vision care centers and optical shops in their local areas.
Collaboration – To make vision care more accessible, the foundation works with governments, non-governmental organizations and other partners to build vision centers throughout local communities.
Advocacy – It promotes the importance of eye health to policymakers. They want to make sure people understand how good vision contributes to a better quality of life.
These efforts have provided access to vision care to 656 million people in need. They have also positively impacted the vision of 65 million individuals worldwide.
Communities served
The foundation has partners in many regions of the world. These affiliates organize programs in the communities they serve. The areas include:
Africa
Europe
Italy
China
India
Southeast Asia
Latin America
North America
Oceania
The foundation helps people of all ages, including children and adults. Some programs focus specifically on school-aged children in hopes that vision correction will help them do well in school.
It also helps people who lack access to vision care. This often includes those in rural or remote areas and low-income communities. Ensuring people have access to vision care within a day’s journey from their homes is a goal of the foundation. It also seeks to make the process of providing this care more affordable and sustainable.
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Ways to get involved
You can get involved with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation in various ways. You can support the cause or seek help for yourself or your community.
Donate
One of the easiest ways to support the mission is by donating. You can donate gently used glasses at a participating LensCrafters store.
Financial donations help fund programs and allow volunteers to reach more communities. You can donate through the foundation’s website or during your next visit to LensCrafters.
Volunteer
OneSight relies on volunteers to help keep their programs running. Eye care professionals, like optometrists, can volunteer in places where they are licensed to work. Non-medical volunteers can also assist with fundraising events and other support roles.
Partner
The foundation works with a network of supporters to reach as many people as possible. If your business or organization has the same mission, you can partner with the foundation to make a bigger impact. Schools may also partner with the foundation so students in need can get free eye exams and glasses.
Advocate
You can help advocate for the foundation by spreading awareness of their mission. You can share their stories on social media, host a fundraiser or join local events. By being an active advocate, you can help make a positive change in your community.
Make your impact
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation believes that everyone deserves the right to see clearly. With the help of the foundation, many people can now see better, and your support can help keep this going.
You can make a difference in someone's life by donating, volunteering or advocating. Let's make a world where everyone can see clearly and have the best chance at life.
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