Linden Optometry Joins Campaign to Raise $1 Million for Universal Eye Health

Pasadena, CA, October 09, 2014 --(PR.com)-- One hundred staff members and 24 doctors of optometry at Linden Optometry, P.C. are taking part in the World Sight Day Challenge during September and October to help give the gift of vision to people in areas of need.

Now in its 7th year, the World Sight Day Challenge is the largest annual global fundraising campaign to address avoidable blindness caused by uncorrected refractive error – simply the need for an eye exam and glasses. The campaign goal is to raise $1 million globally in 2014.

Donning “World Sight Day 2014” t-shirts, the doctors and staff of Linden Optometry are asking patients to drop their donations into one of the collection boxes throughout the building, which will be matched 100% by Linden Optometry, and those funds will be used to help the more than 600 million people in the world who are blind or vision impaired because they do not have access to an eye exam or glasses. The campaign is run by global charity, Optometry Giving Sight. Last year, Linden Optometry was the number one fundraising optometry office in the USA.

In addition, Alan Limfat, O.D., President and CEO of Linden Optometry, will donate a day of his eye exam fees on World Sight Day (October 9).

“I have supported Optometry Giving Sight for 4 years,” said Dr. Limfat. “Preventable blindness is a solvable problem and we are proud to help give sight to those in need. We are thrilled to be contributing towards this year's $1 million goal, which will change a huge number of lives.”

Just $5 can be enough to help provide an eye exam and a pair of glasses to someone living in an underserved community. Every contribution is meaningful.

Participating is easy – simply make a donation before the end of October.

Transforming Lives:

Manny (pictured) was one of the tens of thousands of women, children and men who lost everything when tropical cyclone Yolanda smashed into the Philippines last November. Optometry Giving Sight was pleased to support the efforts of Third World Eye Care Society from Canada who mobilized volunteers and resources to visit the country in late January. More than 8000 people received glasses as a result of their efforts.

To date Optometry Giving Sight has funded 67 projects in 38 countries. For more information, go to www.givingsight.org

Linden Optometry, a Professional Corporation, is located at 477 E. Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, and has provided vision care for the community since 1956. Staffed by 24 doctors of optometry, the eye care facility stays open 7 days per week, and weeknights until 8:00 P.M.

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. It is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) as part of the VISION 2020 Global Initiative. It is supported by eye health organizations around the world – including Optometry Giving Sight - and is included on the official World Health Organization (WHO) calendar. This year’s World Sight Day is on October 9th.

2014 is the first year of the WHO Global Action Plan (GAP) and IAPB encourages its members and partners to continue with the rolling theme Universal Eye Health. This year, the call to action for World Sight Day is No more Avoidable Blindness and will draw attention to the key interventions that are crucial for the success of GAP’s target – reducing avoidable blindness by 25%, by 2019.

Optometry Giving Sight is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error (URE) – simply the need for an eye examination and glasses. It was established in 2003 by the World Council of Optometry, the Brien Holden Vision Institute and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness as a means of mobilizing support from the global eye care profession and industry to help eliminate the backlog of people who are needlessly blind or vision impaired – currently estimated at more than 600 million worldwide. It is a registered charity in Canada and in the USA. Optometry Giving Sight funds the development of sustainable eye and vision care projects in communities where these do not currently exist. These projects focus on local training and capacity building; infrastructure development and the delivery of accessible and affordable vision care services.

How donations can help:

* $50 can help provide a study kit to an optometry student
* $100 can help provide 20 people with access to an eye exam and glasses
* $300 can help to provide a child size trial frame
* $1200 could pay a month's salary for an optometrist to see up to 40 patients a day