Crisp, clear vision is a basic human right, yet many reach adulthood without ever having an eye exam for their uncorrected refractive error. OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is on a mission to change this, recently holding a five-day clinic in New Zealand that changed hundreds of lives.
A young girl turns to her parents beaming with excitement when the trial frame goes on her face. A 78-year-woman has her eyes checked for the very first time. Adults with -8.0 D prescriptions see life in a whole new way, while others with a $2 pair of readers get their first optometrist-prescribed spectacles.
These are just some anecdotes to emerge from a recent five-day clinic in New Zealand – and are real life examples of how the philanthropic work of OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is leaving a positive impression on disadvantaged communities across the region.
Ms Fiona Crimmins was the program leader for the trip to the upper half of the North Island in March 2023, leading a 16-strong team of EssilorLuxottica ANZ staff, including seven optometrists. All up, 940 pairs of free spectacles were provided to 827 people across the clinics held in Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua, Tokoroa and Hamilton.
“This clinic had a major impact because, anecdotally, the majority of folks were reporting to us this was their first-ever eye exam … even those who were wearing glasses when they came through the door,” Crimmins says.
“Many just haven’t been in a position in their lives to dedicate the funds or time to seeking out eyecare, which can fall down the list of priorities when you’re trying to pay the bills and get by. It was a very emotional week. There was a lot of gratitude, a lot of hugs and many people were overwhelmed and tearful before sitting down for their refractive exam.”
OneSight’s work
The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is premised on the belief that good vision is a basic human right. Uncorrected poor vision still affects 2.7 billion people globally, but through programs like the recent New Zealand clinic, the foundation has set itself the goal of helping eliminate uncorrected poor vision in a generation.
OneSight’s philanthropic work dates back to 1988 and has operated under numerous banners, but was rebranded as the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation in May 2022. Today, it operates as a single global organisation with eight regional affiliates.
Under the new structure, Mr Wayne Tennent heads the OneSight program across Australia, New Zealand and Western Pacific. However, his experience with OneSight began in 2014, with his previous role as director of programming for Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East where he’s established eyecare support in places such as Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, inhabited mostly by Rohingya refugees, and on the Greek Island of Lesbos which has provided the gateway to Europe for many Syrian and Afghan refugees.
One of the most important aspects of his role is forming partnerships with governments, NGOs and other like-minded organisations. The aim is to create sustainable access to vision care for the people most in need, fund local vision care programs and raise awareness of poor vision among policymakers and at a community level.
In Australia and New Zealand, he says the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation works with key partner organisations to improve the vision of more than 15,000 people annually. The organisation harnesses the expertise and energy of EssilorLuxottica employees who receive full pay while giving back to their communities.
It achieves this in three ways:
• Indigenous eye health support: OneSight’s Indigenous Eye Health Program, launched in 2012, provides eyecare and glasses to those in remote communities and is committed to building sustainable access in remote areas.
• Regional and metropolitan eyecare clinics: Working in partnership with schools, community and government organisations, these clinics held in local areas provide eye health screenings, eye exams and glasses to children and adults in need. Some are single-day clinics in priority areas, while others are run across several days.
• Vision Voucher program: OneSight Vision Vouchers are issued to people who would not seek treatment through the traditional pathways. These may be those suffering from displacement, homelessness or suffering from dependency issues. They may be exchanged in OPSM and Laubman & Pank stores in Australia and New Zealand for eye examinations and glasses, if required, free of charge. (87 Vision Vouchers were given at the recent New Zealand trip).
Tennent says without partnerships, the program would struggle to exist. In the case of the recent New Zealand clinic, a partnership with the Salvation Army laid the foundation. The charity was able to identify the communities most in need, spread the word to ensure people turned up for the clinics, and provided the facilities where eye screening and exams could occur.
It was a resounding success, with 150-200 people moving through each eight hour, daily clinic across the five days. It’s a significant undertaking taking a large team on a multi-day clinic, so it’s important the maximise the impact of each trip.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, you’ve got to have those key partners to enable you to get to these places, and most importantly, reach the beneficiaries that need your help,” Tennent explains.
“When I first started projects in Rwanda and Zambia, for example, it was about me going in there on a connection within the Ministry of Health or another NGO and starting those conversations. It’s a lot of work because ultimately, you’ve got to secure their support. You can’t do it alone and it can take a long time.”
Now that he’s overseeing Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, Tennent is focusing on how the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation can expand further into the island nations, with recent visits to the health ministries of the Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa.
“It’s an exciting time for us as a foundation now within this region to understand the problems facing our Pacific neighbours. So far, one of the biggest issues is supply chain and getting access to quality product – and if EssilorLuxottica can’t help with this, then who can? I’m interested to see what we can uncover as I have these conversations and visit these places over 2023.”
Tennent says a regional week-long clinic is already planned for Vanuatu in October, which will involve 20 volunteers. It’s among six week-long clinics planned for the region in 2023, with 39 single-day clinics planned.
“We’ll provide a quality eye test and a free pair of glasses to those who need it, but in parallel, I’m also understanding who the key partners are, the World Health Organization, Ministry of Health and the key providers to see what gaps there are in providing permanent care. A lot of these projects have multiple streams and I’m someone that likes to strategically understand what needs to be done before charting a journey from there.”
An optometrist’s perspective
For Ms Sephora Miao, a qualified optometrist, the opportunity to provide life changing eyecare was a major part of why she put her name forward for the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation clinics.
She has attended several single-day clinics across Sydney previously, but the recent New Zealand trip – run by Crimmins – was her first five-day program.
For her, it was a reminder of why she pursued a career in optometry. After graduating in 2018 and working at OPSM World Square and then OPSM Castle Towers, she moved into EssilorLuxottica ANZ’s support office in 2022 as optometry engagement manager for ANZ, before being promoted again this year as senior manager of eyecare operations.
“There are many reasons why I wanted to be involved in the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. The key reason I became an optometrist was a genuine interest to help people see – and the foundation’s mission of helping the world see and providing accessible eyecare to regional communities resonated with me,” she says.
“It’s not only about testing eyes and prescribing what a patient needs, for an optometrist it’s also about understanding the person behind the eyes, what brings them in and how we can make a difference.”
At the recent New Zealand clinic, Miao’s most memorable moments often involved children.
“A lot of them come in and they’ve never had an eye exam before. I found there was high astigmatism in many of the children we saw and when you put the trial frame on you see their faces light up. They turn to their mum and dad to tell them they can see everything, and they begin reading everything around the room,” she says.
“That’s such a nice, rewarding feeling when you see how excited they are and the immediate impact you’ve had by doing something that seems so simple for us as optometrists.”
Tennent says the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is fortunate to have a quality pool of qualified volunteers to choose from, like Miao, taking time away from their busy roles within OPSM and Laubman & Pank stores to provide eyecare services to those most in need.
Although it’s deeply rewarding work, it’s a hectic schedule providing eye tests and glasses to upwards of 150 people who pass through the door on any given day, before moving on to the next town or city. In saying that, Miao says many of the volunteers would stay longer, if they could.
To put their hand up for this work, EssilorLuxottica ANZ optometrists can apply through the company’s new ‘Get Involved’ campaign, before each person is screened for their suitability.
“The volunteers are effectively hand selected to attend one of these clinics and the business is incredibly supportive to continue paying them while they take a week away from their usual roles to give back to the community and make a difference – not only in the lives of the employees, but the people that we look after,” Tennent says.
Flights, accommodation and other expenses are covered, and volunteers can attend after-hours activities, such as cultural experiences. OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation fully funds its own activities, with the money raised through various streams such as in-store customer donations, employees sacrificing a small portion of their wages, and other initiatives.
Miao adds: “In addition to the life-changing work we do, being part of the OneSight clinics also gives the optometrist an opportunity to connect with their colleagues from different states and stores.
“When a group of optometrists get together, you’ll find there’s always a lot of great ideas – and very naturally, we love to share best practice, tips, and insights. The setup at OneSight clinics also looks quite different to the typical consultation room. It’s a change of pace and environment which can be exciting and energising for our optometrists.”
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