Ster-Kinekor’s Vision Mission assists eye care health across SA

Source: www.sterkinekor.com

National Eye Care Awareness Month is commemorated in October every year to raise awareness about the importance of good eye health, specifically around the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness.

“With this in mind, Ster-Kinekor’s CSI programme, Vision Mission, which is at the heart of our organisation, encourages our loyal customers to give back to deserving communities by making a donation while purchasing their movie tickets. The areas of sight and vision are a logical choice for us as a business, as the ability to see is critical to consume our product,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer of Ster-Kinekor.

"Early detection and treatment of eye problems can be life-changing in so many cases. With every eye test and every pair of spectacles we can donate to a child in need, thanks to our Vision Mission programme, we are contributing to that child’s future. Early treatment can mean that a child's vision develops normally and providing spectacles to children who need them can help them thrive - at school, on the sports field, and in social situations.”

Customers of Ster-Kinekor, many of whom choose to include a donation of R2.50 or more to their cinema ticket purchase, support Vision Mission.
These valuable donations contribute to eye examinations, spectacles, and corneal transplants for children in need who require this life-changing operation.

The gift of sight

“We launched the Vision Mission CSI programme to deliver the #GiftOfSight to those in need. Over the years, this project has enabled our healthcare professional partners to evaluate and test more than 364,784 underprivileged students, with almost 30% of them obtaining additional optometric testing. Under this project, we have also enabled 16,480 people to receive glasses, and 33 young people have undergone successful corneal transplants,” comments Wylie.

Three-quarters of the world's 1.4 million blind children live in developing countries such as South Africa, where their blindness can result in poorer education, social isolation, and increased poverty. Three children have severe vision impairment for every blind child, and 13 require eyeglasses.

Nearly 17 million children worldwide have low or blurred vision and do not have access to visual aids, services, or spectacles. Another 13 million children are affected by refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism).

With 75% of blindness cases being avoidable either through prevention or through treatment, it is important to have your eyes tested every year. However, for many South Africans an annual eye test is out of reach.

“For this reason, Vision Mission aims to provide critical eye care to as many young people as possible. But this is only possible through the generosity of our customers, who continue to support this very worthwhile cause through their donations of R2,50 or more to the campaign. We want to take this opportunity to thank you, and hope that you will continue making contributions, for us to continue making a difference by giving the gift of sight to young people in underserved communities,” concludes Wylie.