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THE
OPTOMETRY GIVING SIGHT
ENCOURAGES DONATIONS TO
“LIGHT UP THEIR EYES THIS
HOLIDAY SEASON”
o raise awareness of its global impact
Tand encourage fundraising through
the end of the year, Optometry Giving
Sight (OGS) has kicked off its “Light Up
CHILDHOOD MYOPIA EPIDEMIC Their Eyes This Holiday Season” campaign.
EXPLAINED IN NEW PODCAST The appeal features stories of how the
new podcast designed for non-medical organization—through the generosity of
A listeners explains the reasons behind individual and corporate donors—has
the global childhood myopia epidemic and provided the gift of sight to people around
what that means for Canadian families. the world.
Featuring Dr. Debbie Jones, a clinical scientist Throughout the coming weeks, the campaign
from the Centre for Ocular Research & will highlight a variety of real-life cases,
Education (CORE) and an internationally including those of children in Zambia and
known myopia expert, the 22-minute Haiti who are better able to learn in school
discussion is part of the Don’t Lose Sight after support from OGS enabled them to be
interview series from the Canadian fit with their first pairs of glasses. Another
Association of Optometrists. tells the story of a health care professional
The episode is available at https://dontlo- in India who now incorporates education
sesight.buzzsprout.com/, as well as through about primary eye care into her work with
major podcast platforms including Spotify her community thanks to OGS-funded
and Amazon Music. training.
Dr. Jones defines myopia—also referred to With the support of the ophthalmic industry,
as nearsightedness—and explains how it optometrists, patients, and other donors,
can worsen as a child grows. Speaking with Optometry Giving Sight funds programs
podcast host Denise Balch from Connex to develop sustainable infrastructure, train
Health, she describes the associated risks for local eyecare professionals, and deliver
more severe vision impairment later in life desperately needed vision care in
as a potential consequence. underserved communities both at home
and around the globe.
While half the world’s population is projected
to be myopic by 2050, the crisis is already Over the last 15 years, OGS funding has
evident in Canada. Dr. Jones notes that provided basic eyecare services to more
recent work showed a 30 per cent prevalence than 8 million people, assisted with training
among 11- to 13-year-olds in the Waterloo- more than 14,000 eyecare personnel,
Kitchener region. Remarkably, one-third established more than 130 vision centres,
of those children’s caregivers were unaware and served people in more than 40 countries.
of the problem until the research project In the last two years alone, OGS has
uncovered the condition. provided funding to more than 30 project
partners around the world, totaling more than
$1.5 million in grants. For more information
or to donate, visit givingsight.org.
32 / NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2022 / www.ENVISIONMAGAZINE.ca /
