Campaign Raises Awareness of the Importance of Eye Health and
Supports Two Global Humanitarian Efforts
JACKSONVILLE, Florida and
SANTA ANA, California,
Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Sight is arguably the most prized of all human senses. Yet,
there are many people who do not fully experience the wonder of
this gift. Nearly 285 million people around the world face impaired
vision, with 80 percent being preventable with early diagnosis and
treatment.1 That's why Johnson & Johnson Vision, a
broad-based global leader in eye health, has launched a worldwide
campaign to #spotlightsight on World Sight Day, October 11.
During the week of World Sight Day (October 8-12), the company will draw attention to
global eye health by encouraging members of the public to donate
directly to Lions Club International Foundation, Sight for Kids or
the Himalayan Cataract Project, and by sharing photos on Facebook
or Twitter with the hashtag, #spotlightsight. A spotlight in the
sky will also be shone direct from Johnson & Johnson Vision
headquarters in Florida and
California.
Sight for Kids has provided school-based eye health education
and vision screening to more than 26 million children around the
world since 2002. Today, an estimated 19 million children have
impaired vision. Of these, nearly two thirds (12 million) need
access to spectacles to correct for refractive
errors.2
Johnson & Johnson Vision is increasing awareness and
encouraging donations to Sight for Kids through a captivating video
which tells the story of a young boy in China with vision impairment. The video will
be promoted across the globe and is available to watch here.
Donations can be made direct to Sight for Kids at Lions Clubs
International Foundation. Johnson & Johnson Vision will be
making its own significant contribution in honor of World Sight
Day, providing over 100,000 eye exams for children around the
world.
Partnering with the Himalayan Cataract Project, Johnson &
Johnson Vision is also providing 1,000 people with life changing
cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of preventable
blindness.3 Restoring or improving sight can make a
profound difference to people's lives. Direct donations can be made
to the Himalayan Cataract Project.
Sandra Rasche, Regional VP
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, commented, "Across the world
there remains significant unmet need in eye health. At Johnson
& Johnson Vision, we want to change that. As we work towards
tackling this challenge, supporting and raising awareness of
preventable vision impairment is critical."
The #spotlightsight campaign supports the global call-to-action,
"Eyecare Everywhere" by the International Agency for the Prevention
of Blindness (IAPB), coordinator of World Sight Day. World Sight
day is an international day of awareness, held annually on the
second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue
of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
Johnson & Johnson Vision
At Johnson & Johnson
Vision, we have a bold ambition: to change the trajectory of eye
health around the world. Through our operating companies, we
deliver innovation that enables eye care professionals to create
better outcomes for patients throughout their lives, with products
and technologies that address refractive error, cataracts and dry
eye. In communities with greatest need, we work in collaboration to
expand access to quality eye care, and we are committed to helping
people see better, connect better and live better. Visit us at
www.jjvision.com. Follow @JNJVision on Twitter and Johnson &
Johnson Vision on LinkedIn.
Lions Clubs International Foundation
LCIF is the
charitable arm of Lions Clubs International (LCI), the world's
largest service club organization, with more than 1.4 million
members in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Since
1968, LCIF has funded humanitarian work through financial gifts
from LCI members; the general public; and corporate, foundation and
government partners. To build a future promising a better world,
LCIF will increase service impact by combating vision problems,
providing valuable life skills to youth, responding to major
catastrophes, and sponsoring and delivering programs addressing the
distinct needs of at-risk and vulnerable populations. Learn more at
lcif.org.
Himalayan Cataract Project
The Himalayan Cataract
Project and its extensive network of partners work across
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
to bring world-class eye care to the needlessly blind through
quality care, clinical training and the establishment of first-rate
ophthalmic infrastructures. Co-founder Sanduk Ruit MD, born in
Nepal, educated in India, together with American ophthalmologist,
Geoff Tabin MD, recognized the unmet
eye health need in the Himalayas and made a vow in 1995 to
eliminate preventable and treatable
blindness.4 Through the Himalayan Cataract
Project's efforts, over 8,875,905 people have been screened and
treated, including surgery for over 740,000 people from 17
countries.5 Visit https://www.cureblindness.org/ to
learn more.
1
http://www.who.int/blindness/data_maps/VIFACTSHEETGLODAT2010full.pdf
2 World Health Organisation, 2018
3
"Priority Eye Diseases" World Health Organisation, 2018
4 https://jjvision.com/caring-giving
5 From HCP
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/765383/spotlight_sight_Infographic.jpg