JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and
SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sight is 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, and 80 percent of
those cases are 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 in honor of World Sight Day on
October 11.
"At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we have a bold ambition to
change the trajectory of eye health," said Shlomi Nachman, Company Group Chairman, Johnson
& Johnson Vision and Interventional Solutions & Specialty
Surgery. "That's something we can't accomplish alone. We have to
support organizations driving positive change and connect the
public with education on the issue and ways to support making sight
accessible to all."
Through its ongoing support of Lions Clubs International
Foundation's Sight for Kids and Himalayan Cataract Project, Johnson
& Johnson Vision has committed to provide 100,000 children with
access to vision screenings and 1,000 sight-restoring procedures to
cataract patients. The public will also have opportunities to get
involved—Johnson & Johnson will be donating $1 for photos uploaded to the company's Donate A
Photo app to these two initiatives.
During the week leading up to World Sight Day (October 8-12), the company will shine spotlights
in the night sky from its headquarters in Florida and California to draw attention to the global
health issue of preventable vision impairment. The company will
also be supporting a global social media campaign, #spotlightsight,
to help raise awareness and encourage opportunities to be part of
the solution.
"The needs are great -- more than 19 million children are
visually impaired. To change this statistic, we aspire to double
the number of children treated through Sight for Kids by 2021,"
said Dr. Naresh Aggarwal, Chairman
of Lions Clubs International Foundation. "The #spotlightsight and
Donate a Photo campaigns are raising awareness and engagement and
also mobilizing support for much needed community and school eye
health outreach like our Sight for Kids program. We're honored to
address this issue every day and on World Sight Day with Johnson
& Johnson Vision. Together, we can transform small actions into
life-long impacts for eye health."
"Needless and preventable blindness is one public health problem
we can win with the help of our partners," said Dr. Geoff Tabin, Chairman and Co-Founder of
Himalayan Cataract Project. "We are grateful to Johnson &
Johnson Vision for their ongoing support and look forward to being
a part of the meaningful Donate a Photo program for the first
time."
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, 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.
Participants can post up to one photo per day using the free
Johnson & Johnson Donate a Photo app. Each cause will appear in
the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends on
December 31, 2018. Users without
smart phones or who are outside the U.S. can also be part of the
solution by posting their photos and commenting using
#spotlightsight on social media.
About Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF)
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. LCIF will also reduce the prevalence of diabetes and
improve quality of life for those diagnosed; and expand our global
causes to include hunger, childhood cancer and the environment.
Learn more at lcif.org.
About 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. Visit
https://www.cureblindness.org/ to learn more.
About 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 unmet needs including 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 https://www.jjvision.com/. Follow @JNJVision on
Twitter and Johnson & Johnson Vision on LinkedIn.
1http://www.who.int/blindness/data_maps/VIFACTSHEETGLODAT2010full.pdf
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SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.