What is Optometry Giving Sight?

Optometry Giving Sight was established in 2003 to address the needs of the 300 million men, women and children around the world who are blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses. Why? Because in some countries there are not enough trained eye care personnel and there is no infrastructure to support these desperately needed eye care services.

Optometry Giving Sight is a global fundraising campaign reaching out to the more than 200,000 optometrists around the world, and their nearly 325 million patients, to fund the solution.

Optometry Giving Sight supports programs that offer not only eye exams and glasses in countries with little or no access to them, but that establish the infrastructure and train the local human resources required for sustainable, quality vision care.

At the end of 2007, Optometry Giving Sight distributed US$1,000,000 to projects that will give sight to people with refractive error blindness and impaired vision in Africa, Sri Lanka, East Timor and Indigenous Australia. The funds have been raised by optometrists, their staff, patients and optometric students in Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe.

Optometry Giving Sight is a joint initiative of the World Optometry Foundation (WOF), the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and supports the goals of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, an initiative of IAPB and the World Health Organization (WHO). VISION 2020 aims to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, in order to give all people in the world the right to sight.

Optometry Giving Sight is unique in three ways:

1) It is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness due to refractive error (the need for glasses) and to help those with permanent low vision.

2) The campaign is directed at every optometrist and optical professional, every optometry and optical outlet, their staffs and most importantly their patients and clients, as well as the industry that serves optometry and the optical outlets.

3) This collaboration brings together all the people who are familiar with the value of eye exams and the correction of sight defects and who have the knowledge and determination to deliver a solution. Optometry Giving Sight is an unprecedented opportunity for optometry to make a coordinated and significant impact in the prevention of blindness.

How funds are raised

Optometry Giving Sight raises funds in the following ways:

• By inviting optometrists and practice staff to make regular monthly or annual donations
• By inviting optometry practices to participate in the Optometry Giving Sight Practice Giving Program whereby patients add as little as a dollar to their bills for Optometry Giving Sight;
• By inviting optometrists to "Tick/Check Yes to OGS" on their annual association dues invoice (where implemented);
• Through corporate sponsorship;
• Through general donations

 

How funds are distributed

Optometry Giving Sight focuses its funds on communities in need of services. Optometry Giving Sight raises funds that go directly to Projects around the world that ensure sustainable, lasting results in three ways:

• Eye care service delivery - exams, low-cost eye glasses and low-vision devices;
• Human Resources - training of optometrists, eye care personnel and their teachers;
• Infrastructure development – establishment and support of eye clinics and schools of optometry.

85% of every dollar raised from optometrists and their patients will go directly to support programs that help give sight to those most in need. Up to 15% of the funds raised shall be used toward the cost of administration, marketing, community education, and fundraising.