World Sight Day 2018!

Today is World Sight Day, a day that focuses on blindness and vision impairment around the world: a cause that is very close to our hearts here at Retrospecced. Each year the organisers behind World Sight Day also release a call to action, and this year it is ‘Eye care everywhere’.

IAPB, the organisers behind the event, state that 1.2 billion people worldwide don’t have access to glasses, but over 75% of this sight impairment is avoidable.

“This year, let us draw attention to eye care issues so that everyone, everywhere has access to good eye health. What’s the first thing you can do?”

So what can you, the reader, do at home? We'd love it if you'd consider donating to charities like our partners Vision Aid Overseas, who provide eyecare to those most at need. If you donate today, everything will be generously match funded! Just £5 can pay for an eye test and a pair of glasses which can transform someone's life!

Manase the chef feels confident in the kitchen again after receiving glasses from Vision Aid Overseas

You can also start looking after yourself at home! When was the last time you had your eyes tested? Also look around in your family, especially for those who are vulnerable: young, school-going children, the elderly, those with diabetes* and encourage them to get their eyes checked out too.

We first started our company because we wanted to find a way to recycle our unwanted frames, and knew that someone else could benefit from them. However for many logistical reasons this wasn’t possible, so we believed there had to be a better way to utilise these donations for the sale of charity, as well as supporting sustainable and fashion ethos. This is when we found about Vision Aid Overseas.

If you didn’t already know we work with the charity Vision Aid Overseas and donate 20% of the proceeds from every frame we sell to the charity on your behalf. Vision Aid Overseas was founded in 1985 and has been helping some of the world’s poorest people to see clearly for over 30 years.

Fatimata is a children's nurse in Sierra Leone who can now see again thanks to Vision Aid Overseas

Here are some pretty amazing facts about Vision Aid Overseas:

• 53592 Eye tests have been carried out through Vision Aid Overseas activities in the last 12 months.
• 31781 Pairs of glasses have been prescribed through Vision Aid Overseas activities in the last 12 months.

For World Sight Day, Vision Aid Overseas is raising money for its Overseas’ Big World Sight Day Lunch, and every donation you make will be doubled up to the first £5000 raised!

DONATE NOW!

Feeling inspired?

If you’re in need of a new pair of reading glasses or sunglasses and want to do some good at the same time why not take a look at our latest styles and pick a pair!

Alternatively if you’re fully stocked on the specs but feel like doing a good deed why not donate some money to Vision Aid Overseas and give the gift of sight to someone else today. Or why not reach out to your close family and community and make sure the people you care about are taking the right steps to take care of their eye health?

#WorldSightDay #EyeCareEverywhere

*Sourced from https://www.iapb.org/advocacy/world-sight-day/world-sight-day-2018/

Piece written by the wonderful Paris Richardson - thanks!