“See you in Corviale”: eight weeks of free eye examinations and eyeglasses for residents of the Roman district

ROME – The project has begun in Rome “See you in Corviale” from the OneSight Foundation EssilorLuxottica Italy And IAPB Italia Onlus (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness). The initiative provides for eight weeks of eye examinations and free eyeglasses for residents of the Corviale district with the aim of creating the first urban area “free from vision problems” in Italy. “See you in Corviale” aims to create a virtuous circle with the importance of sight and eye health at the center for the benefit of the residents of the Roman district. Over the course of eight weeks, from May 3 to June 28 – within the Multipurpose Center Nicoletta Campanella, made available by the XI Municipality – completely free eye examinations will be carried out and eyeglasses will be donated for fragile residents identified by the associations involved, where necessary. After the ophthalmologist’s visit, the creation of free eyeglasses will be carried out in collaboration with qualified opticians from Salmoiraghi & Viganò, Grand Vision and some of the main Roman opticians.

A targeted project. This is the first targeted project in which OneSight Foundation EssilorLuxottica Italy And IAPB Italia Onlus join forces and skills to focus on particularly disadvantaged urban areas and intervene in such a way as to declare the area involved “free from visual problems”. “The aim of the initiative is to bridge the gap in opportunities by offering disadvantaged people eye exams and visual aids which, for various reasons, they have had to give up so far. Seeing well means being able to seize study, work and socializing opportunities that would otherwise be precluded. In our activities, inclusion and equality are closely linked” – says Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, President of OneSight Foundation EssilorLuxottica Italy.

The goal to reach. The Foundation, which operates around the world, has set itself the goal of helping to eliminate uncorrected vision defects within a generation, by 2050. “Scholars say that 80 per cent of vision is perceived of information – followed by Mario Barbuto, President of IAPB Italia Onlus. – People with visual disturbances are more at risk of loneliness, are less autonomous and more conditioned in carrying out the acts of daily life. Low vision and blindness are a great personal tragedy, produce a serious risk of depression in older people and represent a very high social cost for treatment and assistance. For this reason, the protection of eyesight is a fundamental issue of public health. Almost all visual disturbances and diseases, even serious ones, can be cured or stemmed thanks to an ophthalmological examination and an early diagnosis”.

Those present at the inauguration. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness – IAPB Italia Onlus collaborates with the Ministry of Health in the implementation of programs and activities aimed at the prevention of visual impairment and the visual rehabilitation of the visually impaired. Present during the inauguration: Marcello Gemmato, Undersecretary of State for Health, Massimiliano Maselli, Councilor for Social Services, Disability, Third Sector and Personal Services of the Lazio Region, Alessandro Onorato, Councilor for Major Events, Tourism and Fashion of Rome Capital, Gianluca Lanzi, President of the XI Municipality of Rome Capital and Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI. The project has the patronage of the Chamber of Deputies, the Lazio Region, Municipality XI and sees the collaboration of numerous associations present in the area.

The purpose of the initiative and the collaborations. The aim of the initiative is to take care of the visual health of the population of Corviale, which does not end with the treatment and correction of refractive errors through a pair of glasses, but wants to guarantee second-level diagnostic insights in the event of ophthalmic diseases , thanks to the collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome – Policlinico Umberto I, Tor Vergata University – Policlinico Tor Vergata and IRCCS GB Bietti Foundation.

Experimental protocols. In addition, specific protocols will be tested for the prevention of the main eye diseases causing low vision and blindness, through the use of OCT (Computerized Optical Tomography) for patients with specific risk factors and data will be collected on the lifestyle of the population, which in addition to identifying the incidence of risk factors on quality of life, they will also allow correlation with ocular health. Such data will allow political decision-makers to optimize social and health policies, calibrating them on effective health needs. As part of the initiative, other activities are planned to support the local area in collaboration with the Campagna Amica Foundation (Coldiretti).

The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. It is a non-profit organization registered in France which reflects the commitment and values ​​of EssilorLuxottica to eliminate uncorrected vision problems in one generation. It was founded in 2022 to bring together the philanthropic, advocacy and investment efforts of EssilorLuxottica and has already given access to eye care to half a billion people and provided eyeglasses to more than 58 million individuals in underprivileged areas and communities around the world. The Foundation has set itself the goal of helping to eliminate uncorrected vision defects within a generation, by 2050, making the goal of the United Nations Organization its own. In Italy, between 2022 and 2023, it promoted the “Sight Days” initiative with 10 stops in the main Italian cities to offer free eye examinations and eyeglasses to people in difficulty.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The IAPB Italia onlus, founded in 1977 by the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Italian Ophthalmological Society collaborates with the Ministry of Health, with which it carries out programs and activities aimed at the prevention of visual impairment and the visual rehabilitation of the visually impaired. It also promotes research into low vision, in order to improve the quality of life of visually impaired people, through the National Pole of Services and Research for the Prevention of Blindness and Visual Rehabilitation, which has been an important Collaboration Center of the Organization since 2013 World Health. Seeing well is a fundamental human right and intervening in a disadvantaged area such as Corviale makes it possible to offer important support to all those people who, suffering from a visual disturbance and a consequent loss of autonomy, have an even more evident social disadvantage.