Southampton, United Kingdom — CooperVision, Inc. Contact lens manufacturer, CooperVision, and Optometry Giving Sight have now commenced their ‘One Bright Vision’ campaign to help transform lives through the gift of vision. With an end target of providing 100,000 comprehensive eye health screenings for children aged 7–12 years old in the Bagamoyo District, Tanzania, CooperVision has now raised the funds to start providing screenings for approximately 8,000 children.
The One Bright Vision programme will run until October 2013 and is working via Optometry Giving Sight to support this project initiative of the public health division at the Brien Holden Vision Institute.
Through sales of CooperVision’s Biofinity family of lenses, of which the company contributes a donation for each pack sold, these children in desperate need are now being given the gift of sight and hope through the direct support of practitioners and their patients.
Commenting on the initiative, Heathcliffe Clash, Communications Manager, Europe, Middle East & Africa at CooperVision said: “We are absolutely delighted that with the support of practitioners and their teams, we can make such a difference to the lives of so many children by providing essential eye health screenings. We’ve made a great start but still have a long way to go to reach our target of screening 100,000 children by the end of October 2013. I am confident that with the fantastic support of Biofinity products from practitioners and customers, we can make that happen.” Donna Power, Optometry Giving Sight Regional Manager Europe, also commented: “For a child living in an underserved region in Tanzania, having access to eye care can determine whether they can have a life of opportunity. We’re incredibly thankful to CooperVision for their support and to their customers who, through purchasing Biofinity lenses, are now having a direct impact on these children’s quality of life. We’re extremely excited that this programme has now commenced and we’re looking forward to ensuring that as many children as possible receive the gift of vision.”
Optometry Giving Sight raises funds for sustainable eye and vision care projects in many countries, particularly the developing world. Since 2007, it has helped to fund 57 projects in 32 countries, which have provided basic eye care services to more than four million people. This has been achieved through the training of local people as eye care professionals and the establishment of local infrastructure such as vision centres and optical workshops.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. [NYSE: COO], is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. Dedicated to continually bringing a fresh perspective to the contact lens experience for practitioners and patients, CooperVision specialises in lenses for astigmatism, presbyopia, and ocular dryness. The company routinely collaborates with eye-care professionals in the research and development of relevant products. CooperVision manufactures a full array of monthly and daily disposable contact lenses featuring advanced materials and optics. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About Optometry Giving Sight
Optometry Giving Sight (www.givingsight.org) is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error – simply the need for an eye exam and a corrective device such as a pair of glasses.
Optometry Giving Sight supports the goals of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). VISION 2020 aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, in order to give all people in the world the right to sight.www.givingsight.org.
About Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation
Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation is a public health division of Brien Holden Vision Institute. For more information www.brienholdenvision.org.