You’re invited to celebrate World Sight Day with us on October 10! Help more than 1.2 billion people who are unnecessarily blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to an eye exam and a pair of glasses. You can help by donating at our office or online. $5 can help give an eye exam and a pair of glasses to someone living in an underserved community. Your gift of sight transforms the lives of the recipients, their families, and communities. Join us for coffee, cookies, and treats. Together we can raise urgently needed funds for this great cause. We invite you to join us in making a donation at our office or at www.givingsight.org and change someone’s life.

Optometry Giving Sight

In its 13th year, World Sight Day Challenge is the largest annual global fundraising campaign that helps those with avoidable blindness caused by the need for an eye exam and glasses. The campaign is run by a global charity, Optometry Giving Sight.

Preventable blindness is a solvable problem and we are grateful to be able to give better vision to those in need with your help. World Sight Day has become an annual tradition at Royal Oak Optometry and we look forward to making a difference with you on October 10. Your donation here in Victoria can help someone in a developing country receive an eye exam and glasses.

How our donations help developing countries

• $5 provides a pair of glasses and eye exam
• $25 can provide 5 eye exam and 5 pairs of glasses
• $28 could help fund eye testing in schools, early enough to prevent blindness or other serious health conditions.
• $60 provides and optometry study pack to optometry students in countries like India
• $100 can provide eye care for up to 20 children
• $250 can screen and provide access to vision correction where needed for 50 children
• $500 can help train teachers to conduct visual acuity tests in the classroom
• $1,000 can provide access to vision screening and referrals for a whole school
• $1,500 can help governments develop policies that prescribe eye health programs in all schools.

Transforming lives

This year’s campaign will help raise funds for more children like 9-year-old Paul from Kenya. Paul was living on the streets when Ben, a teacher at a school for the visually impaired, noticed that he had problems with his sight. Ben took Paul to a vision centre funded by Optometry Giving Sight where Paul was prescribed glasses and medication. Now Paul is happily back in school and able to read and write. He has a bright future, and thanks to Ben who decided to adopt him, a new loving family. Paul aspires to be like Ben when he is older, so he can help children in need just as he was!

To date, Optometry Giving Sight has disbursed funding from donors and sponsors to 117 projects in 39 countries.