Here in the Philippines, eyewear companies and a university are among the groups who are drumming up awareness for World Sight Day through series of activities.

Recently, Vision Express Philippines donated 1,000 pairs of eyewear frames worth almost 2 million pesos to Centro Escolar University School of Optometry, which conducts community outreach program to various communities in Manila, where underprivileged residents are in need of corrective eyewear.

(L-R) Dr. Elena Borromeo – Dean, School of Optometry-CEU, Dr. Teresa R. Perez – VP for Academic Affairs-CEU, Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina, President-CEU, Neelam Gopwani, AVP of Vision Express,., Ms. Farrah Rodriguez, Business Development Manager of Vision Express.

The frames will benefit marginalized residents its communities in Pandacan, Quiapo and Binondo districts in Manila as part of the outreach program of CEU School of Optometry and celebration of World Sight Day. It has been a yearly affair for the college to send its students to the poor communities to make corrective eyeglasses to the residents there.

According to Dr. Elena Borromeo, dean at CEU School of Optometry, the university has a very strong tradition of helping people through its community outreach services. “The programs of our university have always been servicing communities. Social responsibilty is a big thing for us. We are teaching our students the value of helping these communities.”

Neelam Gopwani, AVP for Marketing and Business Development at BLI and ESI said the university’s outreach program is in line with her organizations’ objective of bringing the best eye care solution to more people.

“We have to give back that’s what we are doing today and we want to keep doing for the next years to come,” said Gopwani during the eyewear frames donation ceremony held at CEU.

Borromeo underscored the importance of celebrating World Sight Day to focus in blindness and vision impairment as the prevalence of myopia in kids is on the rise.

One of the factors that trigger prevalence of nearsightedness is the use of digital devices such as smartphones and tablets, which people use for long hours. Kids nowadays start using smartphones at age 2 or 3, added Gopwani. “The blue light being emitted by the smartphone screen is causing eye strain, making it hard to focus,” said Gopwani.

“The eyes are one of the organs of the body that people least take care of. And to think that 80 percent of the experience and information we receive is through our eyes and yet we neglect it,” added Gopwani.

Globally, chronic eye diseases are the main cause of vision loss. Uncorrected refractive errors and unoperated cataract are the top two causes of vision impairment, with 80% of cases preventable or curable, beginning with a simple eye exam, according to the WHO study.

World Sight Day 2018 carries the theme: Eye Care Everywhere.

Article published on The Philippine Daily Inquirer on World Sight Day 2018: October 11, 2018. Sight Day 2018: October 11, 2018.