A new SEE NOW vision screening program in nine districts of Uttar Pradesh is set to benefit 50,000 underprivileged school children. Those children found to suffer from uncorrected refractive errors will be given free spectacles. 

The school screenings are being organised by India Vision Institute in Mathura, Etawah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Moradabad, Amroha, Sambhal, Aligarh and Lucknow districts of UP. IVI has screened about 21,000 underprivileged children in these districts so far. Glasses for those in need will be provided by Essilor’s Vision for Life.

The focused program will be particularly beneficial since children between the ages of seven and 15 years in rural India are found to have refractive error as the main cause of visual impairment. A pair of corrective spectacles following vision screenings to those children found to have refractive issues will have a significant impact in their lives, especially helping them in their education and development.

India Vision Institute (IVI), together with The Fred Hollows Foundation, Essilor’s social impact fund Vision for Life and other partners, is part of the SEE NOW campaign launched on February 1 by campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign will raise awareness about eye health and encourage people to get their vision screened.

A pilot phase of the SEE NOW campaign in 2019 covered five UP districts reaching 32 million people with eye health messaging and screened over 9,000 people. The second phase of the campaign, between February 1 and March 15, 2020, will cover over 30 districts in UP, aims to screen 400,000 people and reach over 200 million people with eye health messaging thanks to the support of Mr Bachchan and partners. 

The Fred Hollows Foundation Deputy CEO Nick Martin said he was delighted to be able to take the campaign to its next phase and expand its coverage across the state. “Dealing with refractive errors is one of our current priorities and we are delighted to partner with India Vision Institute in this phase to address this specific issue,” he said.

IVI’s CEO, Vinod Daniel said: “SEE NOW offers a great opportunity for IVI to be a partner to vision screen children for correcting refractive error. The screenings are able to reach out to children in schools hitherto unreached. These children will be able to see and read better and can hope to look forward to a better future.”

“Across India and as part of our Eye See & I Learn program, IVI has undertaken over 850 vision screening programs, covering around 300,000 children, and has distributed free spectacles to over 30,000 children in 18 states of the country,” he noted.

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Chief Mission Officer, Essilor International, said: “Essilor is delighted to be a partner in the campaign. Our eyes are our most important sense and ensuring children in UP and across India can see clearly is one of the best ways we can help them up to reach their full potential in life.”

About India Vision Institute

India Vision Institute is an independent, not-for-profit registered trust (with Section 12A, 80G and FCRA of IT Act clearance) established in India in 2012. Through extensive activities and programs, including vision screenings across India’s far corners, IVI has made a mark with many achievements. To date, IVI has undertaken 837 vision screening programs in 18 states across India. Some 3,19,069 individuals from underprivileged communities (including 2,54,406 children) have been screened and free spectacles distributed to 48,965 individuals (including 26,690 children). For additional details on IVI and our initiatives, log on to www.indiavisioninstitute.org

About The Fred Hollows Foundation

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an international development organisation working in more than 25 countries. The Foundation helps train and empower local eye doctors, nurses and health workers to create a sustainable system of care in the communities that need it most. The Foundation’s work has a clear purpose: to make sure everyone, whether they’re rich or poor, has access to high quality, affordable eye health. The Foundation’s founder, Fred Hollows, was an internationally renowned eye surgeon and humanitarian. Fred didn’t believe in charity, he firmly believed in teaching, supporting and empowering people to help themselves. He worked tirelessly to end avoidable blindness in Indigenous Australia and around the world – and while it didn’t happen in his time, it will in ours.

About Essilor

Essilor International is the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company. Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its mission is to improve lives by improving sight. To support this mission, Essilor allocates more than €200 million to research and innovation every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Its flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Transitions®, EyezenTM, Xperio®, Foster Grant®, BolonTM and Costa®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor International is a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica. The EssilorLuxottica share trades on the Euronext Paris market and is included in the Euro Stoxx 50 and CAC 40 indices. Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESLX.PA; Bloomberg: EL:FP. For more information, please visit www.essilor.com

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