By AMY MCGEOGHEGAN
For most of us, getting a yearly eye exam is normal, but for one woman from Sri Lanka it was nothing short of a miracle.
Kanchana was 23 years old when she received her first pair of glasses. She had struggled to see clearly until visiting a newly opened Vision Centre. After the technician gave her an exam and recommended the glasses, Kanchana was able to embark on a new life with her husband with clear eyesight for the future.
Now local optometrists are making Kanchana’s dream available for an estimated 670 million men, women and children globally who are blind or vision impaired simply because they don’t have access to basic eye exams or glasses.
The Family Vision Centre, Charlottetown Vision Care and Belevedere Vision Clinic are working together to transform the lives of those without access to basic eye care services by participating in the World Sight Day Challenge.
On Oct. 8, 2009 and throughout the month, optometrists at these locations are donating a day of their eye examination fees to help the cause.
Dr. David McKenna of the Family Vision Centre said he was proud to join thousands of optometrists around the world in making a difference.
“There are millions of people around the world who don’t even have access to the basics-an eye exam and eyeglasses.”
Dr. Lester Jinks from the Belevedere Vision Clinic agrees.
“We are proud to be able to support Optometry Giving Sight in efforts to bring sight to people in countries with little or no access to quality vision care.”
Optometry Giving Sight, organizer of World Sight Day Challenge, supports programs offering eye exams, glasses and establishing vision centres. They also train local eye care professionals in communities with little or no access to eye care services.
By the end of this year they will have distributed $3 million through its partners to help screen and provide basic eye care services to more than 1.7 million people.
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