Bausch + Lomb Donates $50,000 to Optometry Giving Sight

PRESS RELEASE

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health company, today announced that it has made a $50,000 donation to Optometry Giving Sight, a global fundraising organization that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to Uncorrected Refractive Error(URE) by providing access to eye examinations and glasses. The donation will support a broad range of sustainable training and education programs that improve eye health for people in developing and under-served communities.

“We are committed to helping organizations, such as Optometry Giving Sight, offer eye health services and resources to countries worldwide, particularly those that lack the appropriate resources to support them,” said Mark McKenna, senior vice president & general manager, U.S. Contact Lenses, Bausch + Lomb. “We are proud of the work they do and look forward to our ongoing support for their cause to help bring an end to preventable blindness and vision impairment.”

Optometry Giving Sight funds the development of sustainable eye and vision care projects

in communities where these do not currently exist. These projects focus on local training and capacity building; infrastructure development and the delivery of accessible and affordable eye and vision care services

.

In addition, Optometry Giving Sight is a member of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, a joint program of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). VISION 2020 aims to eliminate avoidable blindness through awareness raising, advocacy and resource mobilization, and the implementation of national eye health plans in all countries.

"Bausch + Lomb is a recognized leader in eye health and we are honored by their commitment to support us," said Clive Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Optometry Giving Sight. "Their generous donation will help us to transform the lives of many more people in underserved communities through the funding of sustainable projects which train local people as eye care professionals and provide access to vision care products and services for people in desperate need."

Uncorrected refractive error is a major cause of vision impairment. More than 600 million people are blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to an eye examination and a pair of glasses. It is estimated that that 80% of all blindness and low vision is avoidable — either treatable or preventable – and that 90% occurs in the developing world. This is primarily because in many developing countries there are not enough trained eye care personnel and funding to support desperately needed eye care services.