Optometry students double World Sight Day donations

Students from every optometry school in North America participated in the 2012 World Sight Day Challenge, resulting in a near doubling of the total donations from students in 2011, according to an Optometry Giving Sight press release.

Twenty-five schools raised more than $32,000 in 2012, and VOSH International provided travel stipends to the three schools who donated the most money.

“VOSH International is delighted to be able to provide travel stipends so that these student leaders can experience firsthand the vital work being done to train and mentor people in underserved communities to become degree-qualified optometrists and deliver affordable and accessible eye care services to people in need,” Greg Pearl, OD, immediate past president of VOSH International, said in the press release.

University of Waterloo students held a “dining in the dark” event and raised $6,100. University of Montreal College of Optometry students held a bowl-a-thon and raised $4,700. New England College of Optometry students rallied the clubs on campus to educate students, families and friends and raised $3,500.

The World Sight Day Challenge is a major fundraising campaign coordinated by Optometry Giving Sight that is designed to raise funds for projects that provide vision care, local training and infrastructure support for people who are blind or vision impaired due to uncorrected refractive error – simply the need for an eye exam and a pair of glasses.

Visit www.givingsight.org for more information.

Primary Care Optometry Newsprovides this information as a service to its readers.