Johnson & Johnson Continues Sight for Kids Initiative to Bring Critical Eye Care to More Children in Underserved Communities in India

BusinessWire India
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 15: Johnson & Johnson and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), a leader among international humanitarian volunteer organizations, continued their efforts to impact more than 7 million children in India over the next five years as part of Sight for Kids, a co-founded program to close the gap in access to eye care by providing comprehensive eye care services for children in low-income and underserved communities.

The first screening in 2024 of over 500 children took place in Kolkata, India, bringing the total number of vision assessments in India to over 28 million. To promote early detection and care, over 75,000 teachers have also been given training in basic eye health which will magnify the impact of the program.

"Vision plays such a crucial role in helping children understand the world around them. An uncorrected vision problem may impact a child's ability to learn and develop. Together with our longest-standing corporate partner, Johnson & Johnson, we are thrilled to commit to reaching 7 million children over the next five years in India," commented Brian Sheehan, LCIF Chairperson.

"Sight For Kids doesn't just help transform the lives of children, but entire communities. Parents are relieved, teachers are informed, and communities are engaged, all by helping one child at a time see the world clearly and reach their greatest potential."

In addition to performing visual acuity tests and screening for common eye conditions on-site, LCIF will be partnering with Operation Smile to conduct outreach and awareness around cleft conditions. Johnson & Johnson is the official suture partner of Operation Smile, with a shared mission to pave a path to health equity through access to safe surgery.

"It is remarkable to see our longstanding partnership with LCIF to make vision possible for children in underserved communities in India through Sight for Kids. We are proud to be making a difference in these children's lives, and through our continued collaboration, we hope to impact many more lives in India and Asia Pacific," said Christoph Vonwiller, President, Asia Pacific Vision, Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Founded in 2002 to address inequity in eye care among children, Sight For Kids is now the largest-known, school-based eye health program in the world, having already served more than 49 million children in Asia, Africa, and the U.S., since the program's inception.

Students identified with potential vision impairment or eye ailments are referred to healthcare providers for further evaluation, all at no cost to the family. To date, over 222,000 teachers have been trained and more than 550,000 pairs of free eyeglasses have been provided to underserved children.
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