Our Children’s Vision ahead of schedule in providing eye care services

Our Children’s Vision, a global campaign to provide eye care to children, has reached 27 million children worldwide in just 2 years and is now ahead of schedule in its goal of providing 50 million children with vision services by 2020.

The organization, founded in April 2016, also provides research, develops policies, lobbies governments and initiates programs worldwide to address the eye health of children, according to an announcement from the organization.

“Our Children’s Vision is currently advocating with international and national forums for the prioritization of eye health in schools,” Courtenay Holden, communications manager, public health, at Our Children’s Vision, told Primary Care Optometry News.

The group created a coalition of 79 partners in 55 countries, to bring awareness to global vision needs and help create necessary solutions.

“Although, in principle, the goal of Our Children’s Vision is a number, 50 million children reached by 2020, the real measure of success is shown through the stories of the children that the coalition of partners have reached,” according to the announcement.

The group is “ensuring a standardized level of care for eye health services provided in schools – particularly in low to middle income countries,” Holden said. “We are engaging with numerous stakeholders, inside and outside the optometric sector, to ensure more children receive eye care.”

Our Children’s Vision is also strengthening service delivery of spectacles through a free Ready2Clip donation program provided by Essilor’s Vision for Life Fund. More than 1.7 million pairs of glasses have been distributed, according to the announcement.

The most difficult work is yet to come, according to the announcement.

“There are schools farther out, children living more remotely; there are regions, countries and districts Our Children’s Vision partners have not yet reached and that we need to reach if we are to hit our target by 2020,” according to the release.

Our Children’s Vision was co-founded by Brien Holden Vision Institute and Essilor’s strategic fund, Vision for Life.

To partner with and support Our Children’s Vision visit: www.ourchildrensvision.org.

Disclosure: Holden is campaign manager and communications manager of Our Children’s Vision.