Having kicked off with a first vision clinic in Cambodia, a global partnership between OneSight and Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) will allow volunteers from Essilor and Luxottica to help both companies fuel their impact globally through their employees

In May 2019, OneSight, the independent nonprofit founded and sponsored by Luxottica, expanded its partnership with Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) to eradicate poor vision across the globe and help people to see the beauty of life. A new element of the global partnership is that 50 employees from Essilor will join forces with Luxottica employees this year as volunteers in 16 OneSight vision clinics in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Chile, Peru, the United States, Colombia, Mongolia, Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania.

In parallel to this, EVF is opening more than 300 spots for Luxottica employees to join more than 80 local volunteering initiatives around the world until the end of the year, to give them an insight into Essilor’s philanthropy and 2.5 NVG inclusive business activities.

This partnership showcases Essilor and Luxottica’s long-standing commitment to sustainable development in action, placing ethics and responsibility at the heart of their activities.

Building better vision care, globally

OneSight is dedicated to providing access to vision care for those who have no way to get it. Since its formation in 1988, OneSight has been providing eye exams and glasses to over 10 million people through its vision clinics in underserved regions. Beyond its charitable work, OneSight is working to provide a long-term solution to vision care access throughout the world. This takes the form of self-sustaining vision centers, staffed by local employees and doctors; currently there are nearly 120 centers in operation, with more opening every year.

“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to create and accelerate connections and interactions between the employees from both companies. Together, the volunteers from Essilor and Luxottica are helping provide access to communities in remote areas lacking sustainable vision care infrastructure,” commented Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Head of Mission at EssilorLuxottica.

Providing eyecare to rural Cambodians

As part of the first OneSight clinic, a team of 26 volunteers from Luxottica and Essilor worked hand-in-hand with local charity group Khmer Sight Foundation over a one-week period last month in the Ampov Prey commune, a little south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. Helping 1,000 patients with vision problems in clinics across nine villages, it was a unique opportunity to promote good vision care and foster meaningful connections between Essilor and Luxottica employees.

According to the Khmer Sight Foundation, over 180,000 Cambodians are blind. Ten percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and most of the poor live in rural areas where there is either no or limited access to eyecare facilities and education. The patients from the Ampov Prey commune were mostly agricultural farmers or garment factory workers who earn an average of US $178 per month.

With the help of translators, both Essilor and Luxottica volunteers provided their support to screen local communities and provide them with adequate equipment where needed.

The second and third clinic followed in June, with volunteers helping provide access to vision care to communities in Lota (Chile) and Fishkill (US).