The initiative, dubbed “Buy Vision, Give Sight,” aims to raise $10 million to improve access to eye screening, prescription glasses and eye health care in under-resourced communities around the world.
When a consumer purchases a new pair of Revo sunglasses, $10 from the sale of every pair, up to a total of $10 million, will be donated by Revo to the “Buy Vision, Give Sight” initiative.
To execute the initiative, Revo and Bono are partnering with the non-profit Brien Holden Vision Institute, which is dedicated to providing sustainable solutions for eye care and ending avoidable blindness and vision impairment in under-resourced communities. The funds donated by Revo to the Brien Holden Vision Institute will help pay for basic eye care services, such as eye tests and prescription glasses, and build stronger eye care services in target communities for the longer term by training local people to provide eye care and detect eye diseases in their communities. The majority of Revo’s contribution to Brien Holden will support their “Our Children’s Vision” campaign (Brien Holden Vision Institute) whose aim is to prevent impaired vision and preventable blindness in more than 50 million children by 2020. A portion of the “Buy Vision, Give Sight” funds will also be used for eye health medical research.
An estimated 625 million people are unnecessarily blind or vision-impaired worldwide. According to the Brien Holden Vision Institute, almost 75 percent of all vision impairments including myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, un-operated cataract and glaucoma can be prevented or cured with access to preventative eye care and treatment, including prescription glasses.
Bono, who has a long track record in global health, particularly as an activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS, was diagnosed with glaucoma 20 years ago. His experience with glaucoma, for which he has been able to receive excellent treatment, has made him determined to find a way to increase access to front-line eye health services for others. The U2 singer will appear in Revo advertisements and campaign materials supporting the initiative.
“The ‘Buy Vision, Give Sight’ campaign is a very personal one for me,” said Bono. “Thanks to good medical care my eyes are okay, but tens of millions of people around the world with sight problems don’t have access to glasses, or even a basic eye test. Poor eyesight may not be life-threatening, but it dramatically affects your life and your livelihood if you aren’t able to fix it. When we met with experts, they said the number one problem is untreated poor vision, which prevents a child from learning in school, or an adult from performing their job. Sight is a human right and the ‘Buy Vision, Give Sight’ initiative will help ensure millions of people have access to the eye exams and glasses they need to see.”
Bono added, “With Brien Holden, we found a partner doing remarkable work, hand-in-hand with local communities. It’s mind-expanding what they are achieving. We’re very excited to work in partnership with them and Revo.”
Yehuda Shmidman, CEO, Sequential Brands Group, and owner of Revo brand, said he believes Revo customers will embrace the idea that their purchase is helping someone else.
“We’re proud to support Bono and the Brien Holden Vision Institute in their efforts to bring basic eye care services to millions of people around the world,“ Shmidman said.
During U2′s Innocence + Experience World Tour, Bono will exclusively wear Revo sunglasses. Additionally, he has designed a capsule collection of sunglasses for the brand comprised of five styles. It will debut in late Fall 2015 and will include lenses in various colors outfitted with Revo’s LMSTM technology. The collection will be available at Revo.com, Sunglass Hut stores and other fine specialty, optical and sporting goods stores around the world. As with all Revo sunglasses, $10 dollars from each pair of the Bono for Revo collection will go to the “Buy Vision, Give Sight” initiative. Bono has donated his time and efforts to this partnership with Revo so that all funds can be directed to the “Buy Vision, Give Sight” campaign.
