Progressive Eyecare & Eyewear  DONATE EYE EXAM FEES

TO GIVE SIGHT TO PEOPLE IN NEED

On October 9th, 2008 Progressive Eyecare participated in the World Sight Day Challenge organized by Optometry Giving Sight which helped raise money for over 300 million people who are blind or visually impaired because they do lack access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses.

Last year, the first year for this initiative, hundreds of optometric practices participated in the Challenge raising more than $250,000, which is already funding projects that are providing vision care, local training and infrastructure support in Sri Lanka, East Africa, East Timor and South Africa. This year we expect to significantly increase the number of participants and dollars raised.

All the doctors and staff were inspired by the story of John Moria, a 67-year-old subsistence farmer in East Timor, who is very myopic (near sighted). Having lost most of his family during the recent independence struggle, and with limited vision, it was increasingly difficult for John to tend to his crops. In a country with no social welfare system, this was a threat to his very survival. Today, John has regained his sight and his autonomy, thanks to “optometry” giving sight. His life was literally saved by a pair of glasses!

It is hard for us living here to grasp that just $5 can provide an eye exam and a pair of glasses in many developing countries, said Dr. Lopez. And thanks to the support of industry, Optometry Giving Sight guarantees that 85% of all funds raised by optometrists and their patients go directly to programs that give sight to those in need.

Here are some photos from this year's World Sight Challenge.

For more information about Optometry Giving Sight and the World Sight Day Challenge visit www.givingsight.org

About Optometry Giving Sight

Optometry Giving Sight is a joint initiative of the World Optometry Foundation, the International Centre for Eyecare Education and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. National industry sponsors include CIBA VISION, the Institute for Eye Research, Marchon, Vision Source!, Signet Armorlite, AllAboutVision.com and EyeVis Eye and Vision Research Institute.  Optometry Giving Sight is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.