Sydney, Australia, 23 November 2015: Eyewear brand Revo and U2 lead singer, Bono, have launched a new range of sunglasses that will help eliminate avoidable blindness and vision impairment.
Proceeds from the sale of the ‘Vision over Visibility’ collection, designed in collaboration with Bono, will fund ‘Buy Vision, Give Sight’ – a campaign that through the work of the Brien Holden Vision Institute will provide eye care services to five million adults and children by the 2020.
Bono, who has a long track record in global health, particularly as an activist in the fight against HIV and AIDS is determined to find a way to increase access to frontline eye health services for others.
“This is personal for me. I’ve been dealing with glaucoma for 20 years,” said Bono in an exclusive video released today. “The Brien Holden Vision Institute is leading the fight to end the kind of blindness and vision problems that can be prevented or cured. They now have an ally in Revo, and me.”
“The scope of the problem is huge, but the path to progress is also in plain sight. We know we can end vision impairment and unnecessary blindness for millions of people. We also know that you can help,” added Bono.
Revo will donate $10 from the sale of every pair of Revo sunglasses, including Bono’s ‘Vision over Visibility’ collection, up to a total of $10 million to the ‘Buy Vision, Give Sight’ initiative. The funds donated by Revo will help pay for basic eye care services, particularly eye tests and prescription glasses, and also build stronger eye care services in target communities for the longer term by training local people to provide eye care and detect eye diseases.
“People, regardless of where they live in the world, are exposed to vision problems, but the real issue is access. For those of us living in the developed world we are lucky to have eye care professionals readily available; for 625 million people they are not so lucky,” said Prof Kovin Naidoo, CEO, Brien Holden Vision Institute. “We believe that sight is a fundamental right for all people, regardless of economic status, gender or geographical location. Simply put, our programs are about ensuring accessible and affordable eye care to people. In Revo and Bono we have found partners who can help make that happen.”
‘Buy Vision, Give Sight’ is a proud supporter of Our Children’s Vision, an initiative of the Brien Holden Vision Institute to provide eye care to 50 million children by 2020.