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World Sight Day Challenge aims to give sight
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 Jaliff Chitspico, optometry student at Mzuzu University in Malawi. Image: ICEE |
Optometry Giving Sight invites optometrists and the ophthalmic community in the U.S. and Canada to take part in the World Sight Day Challenge to raise funds for people who are needlessly blind or vision impaired due to uncorrected refractive error.
Optometrists are invited to take the challenge by donating their eye exam fees on World Sight Day (Oct. 13) or any other day in October, or they can join their colleagues across the profession by making a personal or practice donation at www.givingsight.org. Practices are also encouraged to involve their staff and patients by having an office celebration throughout the month.
There are 670 million people around the world who are blind or vision impaired simply because they cannot access an eye examination and glasses; this is more than double the population of the U.S.
Funds raised can help someone like Jaliff Chitspico achieve his dream of becoming an optometrist. Thanks to a project co-funded by Optometry Giving Sight, Mr. Chitspico is now a first year student at Mzuzu University in Malawi (Africa) in the Bachelor of Science in Optometry program.
“Since I was a young boy I have always been dreaming of becoming an optometrist,” Mr. Chitspico said in a press release from Optometry Giving Sight. “Becoming an optometrist is not a simple thing; this is why I am working around the clock so that I can graduate with the first class degree in 4 year’s time.”
Once he graduates, Mr. Chitspico will be licensed to work in the public health system providing affordable, accessible eye care to people in his community. This will benefit tens of thousands of people who have perhaps never had an eye examination or a pair of glasses.
Eighty-five percent of donations to Optometry Giving Sight go directly to support projects that provide vision care, local training and infrastructure support for people in underserved communities.
To learn more about the World Sight Day Challenge visit www.givingsight.org, call (888) OGS-GIVE or email usa@givingsight.org.
Primary Care Optometry News provides this information as a service to its readers.