Essilor and
the Royal Government of Bhutan officially launched their partnership to make
Bhutan the first country in the world to eradicate poor vision with a
monumental milestone – the delivery of 10,000 pairs of eyeglasses for use in
its Bhutan School Sight program. To mark the occasion, Her Majesty Ashi Kesang Choeden
Wangchuck, Queen Mother of His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo, who made
possible the partnership with her patronage, presented eyeglasses to citizens
in a launch ceremony.
Organized
by the Ministry of Health, the Bhutan School Sight program which offers free
vision screening for all students aged six to eighteen and equips those in need
with free glasses, is underway and will be completed by October. The adult
screening program will begin in 2020.
As part of
the partnership, starting from the last quarter of 2019, nearly 200 health
assistants will be trained to conduct basic visual acuity tests, distribute
simple reading glasses and direct patients with vision correction needs to eye
health practitioners. These health assistants will be able to conduct vision
screenings for the residents in their communities.
In December 2018, as reported on Optik NOW, Essilor signed Letters of Intent with the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Central Monastic Body to sustainably strengthen the country’s vision care infrastructure and eradicate unprotected and uncorrected poor vision from its population. Today, 25% of those in Bhutan suffer from uncorrected poor vision, and a large portion is at risk of exposure to UVA/UVB rays due to high altitudes. Together, the partners will address the two greatest barriers to good vision – access and awareness – through training and capacity building, philanthropic support and raising awareness.
Chairman of
Essilor, Hubert Sagnières, said: “Good vision transforms more than just a
person’s health and wellbeing – it reduces inequalities and positively impacts
the daily lives of individuals, their families and their communities through
their ability to learn, work and be safe.” Sagnières continued; “We are pleased
with the progress of our journey together so far and look forward to many more
milestones.”
Her
Excellency the Health Minister of Bhutan, Lyonpo Dechen Wangmo mentioned, “We
hope that through this partnership, the prevalence of poor vision is
significantly reduced, that every Bhutanese who requires refractive error
correction has access to eyeglasses.”
The
partnership sees Essilor donating 400,000 pairs of corrective eyewear and
sunglasses, dispensed via existing healthcare programs.
Click HERE for the full press release.
