There are many actions happening around the world today to bring good vision to everyone everywhere. These efforts are led by both the public and private sector and supported by multilateral organizations and donors. Great strides have been made in the areas of accessibility, affordability, addressing funding gaps and using innovation to produce cost-effective products and services. Despite this success, there is a need to do more. 

Essilor published Eliminating Poor Vision in a Generation: What will it take to eliminate uncorrected refractive errors by 2050?  to define the scale of the vision care crisis, as it relates to uncorrected refractive errors, over the next 30 years. It is an evidence-based plan, using analytical support provided by McKinsey & Company, with the objective to catalyze greater engagement and resources, and inspire widespread systems change by clarifying what it will take to eliminate refractive errors by 2050.

Using the key findings of the report as a starting point, Essilor hosted a panel discussion, in partnership with the social enterprise and media platform Devex, on the sidelines of 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The discussion examined how we can overcome obstacles to meeting the 2050 target of universal vision, the need for specific funding, partnerships and awareness raising, as well as how we can jointly tackle the issue through economies of scale and cross-sector collaboration. The panel included Jayanth Bhuvaraghan, Chief Mission Officer of EssilorLuxottica and Essilor; Nick Martin, Deputy CEO, The Fred Hollows Foundation; Allyala Nandakumar, Chief Economist at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, USA and Former Chief Economist for Global Health, USAID; Dr. Serge Resnikoff, International Expert on Eye Health and Former Senior Policy Advisor and Coordinator, World Health Organization as well as Elizabeth Smith, Co-founder and Chief Executive, EYElliance.