The Joy of Giving Back

World Sight Day was a great opportunity for eye care professionals to come together to raise awareness about the importance of eye care and help those in need of eye care around the globe.

I was one of more than 40 optometrists who volunteered with VSP Mobile Eyes to provide free eye exams and new glasses to 2,220 adults and children in my community who couldn’t otherwise afford the care. (Check out the infographic!)

And I was delighted to hear from Clive Miller, CEO of Optometry Giving Sight, about the support from eye care practices across the U.S. for the World Sight Day Challenge, which raises funds to address avoidable blindness caused by uncorrected refractive error—the simple need for an eye exam and glasses.

Clive sends this message of thanks:

We are grateful to the hundreds of practices across the USA who participated in this year’s World Sight Day Challenge. With additional support from our friends in the industry and students of optometry, we are on track to reach our target of $400,000. 

Many optometrists report how the Challenge is a great opportunity to boost staff morale, engage patients, have lots of fun and do something directly related to their profession. Fundraising activities ranged from writing a check to trunk shows, sales promotions, dinners, golf tournaments, head shaving, pie throwing and much more. 

Most importantly, these efforts will directly support our ability to fund sustainable eye and vision care projects in underserved communities throughout the world, and in the USA. You can read more about these at www.givingsight.org.

Learn more about the people in need who received free eye care for World Sight Day in this video or visit the VSP Blog: