It’s estimated that 80 percent of what a child learns is perceived through the eyes, which is why it comes as no surprise that children with poor vision are three times more likely to fail a grade. Glasses help to correct a child’s eyesight, improving not just educational outcomes but also life opportunities.
A key barrier preventing children from correcting their vision, especially in rural areas, is the ability to have an eye test and get equipped with corrective glasses. That’s why Essilor developed Ready2ClipTM (R2C) – frames and ready-to-mount lenses that enable on-the-spot dispensing based on individual needs.
This innovation has significantly increased the efficiency of vision care programmes for children the world over. Thanks to interchangeable pre-cut lenses that can be easily snapped into a wide range of attractive R2C frames, eyeglasses can be customized to fit the wearer’s prescription and delivered on the spot. This eliminates the need for wearers to make a second visit to collect the custom-fit spectacles, a trip that usually comes at the cost of their daily wages.
Doing more with less together with our partners
As part of Essilor’s ambition to eliminate poor vision by 2050, Vision for Life, one of the founding partners of the Our Children’s Vision Campaign, donates R2C corrective glasses to the campaign partners to scale up their philanthropic programmes for children around the world.
Whenever there is an extra step in the process of getting treatment, patients are likely to fall through the cracks. Thankfully, R2C allows us to serve patients immediately without depending on a lab and follow up visit.
“The R2C glasses offer us a cost-effective and immediate solution to providing glasses on the spot at outreach activities – both in remote and urban areas. Whenever there is an extra step in the process of getting treatment, patients are likely to fall through the cracks. Thankfully, R2C allows us to serve patients immediately without depending on a lab and follow up visit. A game-changer in eye care to say the least!” – Haleigh Cole Perry, Program Director for Charity Vision International.
To date, Essilor’s Vision for Life has donated 46,000 pairs of R2C glasses to eight of the campaign’s partners. By the end of this year, this number is set to exceed 290,000 pairs, benefitting children in underserved communities worldwide.
A novel and cost-effective solution
R2C glasses have the potential to substantially reduce costs for school-based eye health programmes.
Our study shows that more than 80% of the children who need spectacles can be provided with R2C glasses rather than custom-made ones.
“Using ready-made spectacles for school eye health programmes can increase access to spectacles for children. Dispensed on the spot, they have the potential to increase compliance by reducing waiting time and minimizing costs for parents. Our study shows that more than 80% of the children who need spectacles can be provided with R2C glasses rather than custom-made ones” – Dr. Priya Morjaria, PhD, Peek Vision Research Lead and Public Health Optometrist, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
This also means that vision care providers do not have to visit the schools again to deliver the spectacles, thereby reducing travel and other opportunity costs for parents.
Through the hard work of our 79 partner organizations in 55 countries, 30 million children have had their vision tested to date. These donations of R2C glasses contribute directly to Our Children’s Vision’s ambitious goal of reaching 50 million children with vision services by 2020.
Using innovative R2C glasses to facilitate vision care for children represents one of many initiatives implemented by Essilor and all of its partners, to help us achieve this mission.
By: Anurag Hans, Senior Director, Base-of-Pyramid Innovation Lab, Essilor
First published on Our Children’s Vision