CHICAGO – Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s oldest eye health and safety organization, has partnered with OneSight(SM), a Luxottica Group Foundation dedicated to improving vision through outreach, research and education, to provide free eyeglass frames and prescription lenses at locations across the country. The Prevent Blindness America “Healthy Eyes Eyeglass Program” provides cards to individuals that can be utilized through the OneSight program at any participating LensCrafters, Sears Optical, Target Optical or select Pearle Vision locations.
Patients who participate in a vision screening through Prevent Blindness America, a Prevent Blindness America affiliate or one of the organization’s many health program partners, and receive a referral for an exam to an eye care professional, may then bring their new prescription with the card to participating locations.
“Today, there are so many Americans who are unable to fully enjoy some of life’s simplest pleasures just because they can’t see clearly,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “Thanks to the generous support from OneSight and the Luxottica Group, we are now able to help give the gift of sight to many in underserved populations.”
According to a study by Prevent Blindness America in 2007, approximately $5.51 billion is spent annually by Americans ages 40 and older on direct medical costs for outpatient services associated with a refractive error. As of today, there are more than 45 million Americans over the age of 40 with myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).
And, more than 12.1 million school-age children have some form of vision problem, yet only one in three children in America have received eye care services before the age of six, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since much of a child’s learning is done visually, the importance of clear vision is paramount to a child’s success at school.
For more information about Prevent Blindness America and the Healthy Eyes Eyeglass Program, please call (800) 331-2020 or visit preventblindness.org.
OneSight, a Luxottica Group Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the U.S., dedicated to improving vision for those in need worldwide through outreach, research and education. OneSight’s outreach programs include the hand-delivery of vision care and eyewear to those in need. Since 1988, OneSight outreach efforts have helped more than six million people around the world see more clearly through two former programs, Give the Gift of Sight and Community I-Care. OneSight research and education efforts have granted millions towards research and education through the former program, the Pearle Vision Foundation. Luxottica Group employees, affiliated and independent doctors, vendors, donors and other charitable partners worldwide, work together to give the gift of sight to those in need. Luxottica Group, a global leader in eyewear, provides inspiration for OneSight and it is the organization’s main sponsor. For more information, www.onesight.org.
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Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, divisions and chapters, it's committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020.
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