Promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Sight Day on October 12^th aims to raise awareness on blindness and vision impairment. On this occasion, Luxottica, together with OneSight, renews its commitment with a vision care initiative.

The aim is to enable everyone to have easier access to preventative vision care, including people living in difficult conditions. The initiative is part of a larger project on sustainability which also means, for Luxottica, playing a key social role to guarantee people’s wellbeing.

To make a concrete contribution to World Sight Day, Luxottica has decided, for the first time, to organise this initiative in Italy, starting with the city of Milan. For ten days, from 16 to 27 October, free eye examinations and glasses were offered to help visually impaired people at some of Milan's most important charitable organizations: Istituto Martinitt, the “Enzo Jannacci” shelter (Casa dell’accoglienza “Enzo Janacci”) and Fondazione Arca. With the support of the associations involved, they welcomed people in need from various disadvantaged districts and areas of Milan who require an eye examination and, if necessary, eyeglasses, which were given out free of charge. 

The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Department of Social Policies, Health and Rights of the Municipality of Milan in the context of a week of activities and events dedicated to disadvantaged people, involved children and adults, both migrants and Milanese citizens. In total, around 800 people were examined and more than 500 glasses were delivered.

The project was sponsored by the Municipality of Milan, by the Lombardy Region, by IAPB – International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the World Health Organisation's national partner for World Sight Day, and by the Italian Ophthalmological Society (SOI).

The examinations were be performed by ophthalmologists from the Neovision Cliniche Oculistiche. 

Quality of vision is a fundamental factor not only for individual wellness but also for social wellbeing. One out of seven people in the world lacks access to eye care throughout their lifetime.

For around 2.5 billion people, vision correction is, therefore, still a luxury. These are the premises underlying this initiative, given that there are still many visually impaired people throughout the world and in Milan as well. Unable to access the necessary treatments, they perceive vision problems.