Essilor to help billions of people gain access to better vision

Around 2.5 billion people need glasses but don’t have them, according to a recent report by the Overseas Development Institute.

The report highlighted that it is the poorest communities that suffer the most with bad vision, potentially becoming a barrier to education and employment for many and resulting in families and children being trapped in poverty and disadvantages.

To combat this, French firm Essilor has teamed up with the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in order to bring glasses tailored to people’s prescriptions to poor parts of Africa. This commitment will be made in partnership with the Vision Catalyst Fund, which is a new initiative to provide long-term solutions for eye health to populations in Commonwealth countries. Essilor’s aim is to have 20 million new wearers of glasses by the end of this year and 50 million by the end of 2020.