Author: Corinne Waldon

Bausch + Lomb has been a platinum partner of Optometry Giving Sight since 2016. The company has been at the forefront of eye health innovation for nearly two centuries, and today its portfolio includes contact lenses, lens care solutions, pharmaceuticals, intraocular lenses, over-the-counter eye care products and supplements, surgical devices, diagnostics and more.

Its mission is simple: helping people see better to live better. Bausch + Lomb continues to evolve with the changing needs of patients and customers, maintaining a strong commitment to innovation and elevating the standard of care in eye health.

Bausch + Lomb supports Optometry Giving Sight through the Bausch Foundation, the Horizon Rewards Program – which allows patients to donate a portion or all their rebate to Optometry Giving Sight – and the ONE by ONE Recycling program. Earlier this year, Bausch + Lomb expanded the ONE by ONE program to accept certain used eye care and lens care materials, in addition to contact lenses and their packaging.

Participating practices collect a minimum of 10 pounds of accepted waste before shipping to TerraCycle for proper recycling. For every qualifying shipment of 10 pounds or more, a $1 per pound donation is made to Optometry Giving Sight.

Through these programs, Bausch + Lomb has contributed nearly $1.2 million to Optometry Giving Sight, helping to positively impact tens of thousands of people worldwide.

“Everyone deserves the chance to see the world clearly,” said Yang Yang, president, Global Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb. “Partnering with Optometry Giving Sight allows us to help make that possible by improving access to eye care and supporting programs that create lasting change in communities around the globe.”

We thank Bausch + Lomb for their ongoing commitment and partnership and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact together in eliminating preventable blindness.

Optical Image of Swift Current, Saskatchewan didn’t just participate in this year’s World Sight Day Challenge (WSDC) –– they rocked! The team rallied their community, raised vital funds for Optometry Giving Sight, and topped it all off by winning our first‑ever WSDC Thumbs‑Up Throwdown social media contest.

Their motivation for joining the Challenge is simple, heartfelt, and powerful:

“Five to twenty-five dollars can help provide an eye exam and glasses to individuals in developing countries where OGS supports vital projects,” said Optical Image’s Dr. Sasha Godenir. “That amount of money doesn’t go a long way here anymore, but to give somebody their sight back is an incredible feat and a life-changing opportunity. Not only can they see, but it may also provide an opportunity to get a job and so many other things. A thousand dollars can buy equipment for an optometry clinic or pay an optometrist for a certain amount of time. Donations go a long way in making a difference.”

By earning the highest number of “likes” on WSDC‑related Facebook and Instagram posts, Optical Image secured the top spot in the Throwdown—and a well‑deserved celebration.

Their prize package includes special‑edition WSDC Champion t‑shirts and awards, a monetary award for an all‑practice celebration, and a few extra surprises to honor their enthusiasm and leadership.

To the entire Optical Image team: thank you for your creativity, your commitment, and your unwavering belief in the power of vision care. Your efforts help change lives, and we’re grateful to celebrate this win with you.

In 2025, Optometry Giving Sight awarded a grant to Vision for the Poor to train 14 optometry technicians as primary care optometrists. These professionals will staff six new vision centers and one eye hospital within a $54 million, self-sustaining national eye care network designed to eliminate treatable blindness for 3.5 million Guatemalans by 2032.

A key strength of this initiative is the empowerment of indigenous optometrists to serve both urban and rural communities. Trainees are recruited from the regions where new facilities will be built, allowing them to communicate in local dialects and understand cultural needs, ensuring care that is both accessible and trusted.

Executive Director Donna Mikulecky recently shared her experience visiting the project.

“It was an honor to witness firsthand how deeply this project is rooted in the communities it serves. The commitment, compassion, and professionalism of the local team reaffirm that sustainable eye care begins with investing in local people. Their dedication is the reason this model works—and why it will continue to change lives for generations.

“This visit reminded me why we exist and why the support of our donors is essential: to create a future where everyone has access to eye care, regardless of ability to pay. It is a privilege to help build that future.”

The project’s sustainability is driven by a locally led, data-based model in which each hospital and vision center becomes financially self-sufficient. Through a proven cross-subsidized system—where patients pay full price, partial price, or nothing based on their means—facilities remain stable while ensuring equitable access.

This ambitious national plan began 30 years ago in Guatemala’s Petén rainforest, when a Vision for the Poor team recognized the need for permanent, high-quality, high-volume eye care that short-term mission trips could not meet.

Vision for the Poor Executive Director Doug Villella, OD, reflects:

“All the ingredients for success were there from the beginning. Dedicated U.S. volunteers worked year-round to support compassionate Guatemalan eye doctors, funded by hundreds of generous donors. In the early years, the Guatemalan team treated 4,000 patients annually. We never imagined it would grow to 300,000 patients a year across four hospitals and 20 vision centers with a staff of 500. It’s been an unfolding miracle.”

The project is carried out by Visualiza, co-founded by Vision for the Poor. Visualiza is Guatemala’s only social service eye care network and employs 100 optometrists who provide high-quality, affordable care to the country’s poorest communities.

“The sun has become my enemy.”

At just 14, Abdiwali shines shoes on the streets of Mogadishu to survive. His mother passed away when he was ten. His father, a farmer, remains in their small hometown.

Abdiwali had been suffering from severe Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), a painful allergic eye condition that made sunlight unbearable. When Abdiwali heard about the newly opened Himilo Eye Trust Center, he walked in—full of hope and pain.

“The sun has become my enemy,” he told the Eye Trust Center team. He had called six relatives to help him reach the center, but could only gather $2 for his care.

But thanks to the generosity of donors, Abdiwali received free treatment through a grant from Optometry Giving Sight. And, today, he sees the world with much less pain—and much more possibility.

His story is just one among thousands that donors like you have helped shape. Generous support from donors has enabled us to fund more than 200 grants in more than 70 countries. Together, we have impacted over 15 million people of all ages.

In addition to meeting the immediate need for free eye exams and eyeglasses, we are building a sustainable future where quality eye care is accessible to all so that the individuals we help today can get the care they need tomorrow and beyond.

As the year draws to a close, we invite you to reflect on the impact your generosity can make in the lives still waiting to be transformed.

Your year-end gift can help us reach more children like Abdiwali, train more eye care professionals, and expand access to vision care where it’s needed most.

Thank you for giving sight, hope, and opportunity.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Donna J. Mikulecky
Executive Director
Optometry Giving Sight

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) announced the appointment of Tony Sommer to its Board of Directors, bringing with him extensive leadership experience in specialty vision care, medical technology, and organizational growth.

“We are delighted to welcome Tony to the team,” says OGS U.S. Board President, Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón.

“He brings more than two decades of leadership in specialty vision care and medical technology to our work, combining commercial acumen with a purpose-driven approach to innovation. He is a wonderful addition to the Board. I look forward to working with Tony in this new role.”

Most recently, Sommer served as General Manager, Americas, for CooperVision and CooperVision Specialty EyeCare, where he led growth across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America—helping advance myopia management and specialty lens adoption among practitioners and patients alike.

Before entering the eye care industry, Sommer served as a U.S. Air Force officer and combat veteran, deploying in support of Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. His time in uniform shaped his leadership philosophy—mission-driven, team-first, and focused on outcomes that matter.

Sommer joins an already distinguished Optometry Giving Sight Board, which includes Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón, Dr. Susan Cooper, Dr. Luigi Bilotto, Dr. John Flanagan, Dr. Millicent Knight, Dr. Paul Karpecki, Dr. Susy Yu, Dr. Meng Xu, and Dan McBride.

Optometry Giving Sight raises funds from the optometric community to support programs that end preventable blindness and vision impairment worldwide, by offering immediate eye care and building infrastructure to expand permanent access to vision care. Over the last 20 years, OGS funding has provided basic eye care services to more than 15 million people, assisted in training over 14,000 eye care personnel, established more than 200 vision centers, and served individuals in over 70 countries.

Thanks to the generosity and spirit of optometry professionals, students, and business partners throughout Canada and the United States, the 2025 World Sight Day Challenge became one of Optometry Giving Sight’s (OGS) most impactful yet.

Participants organized fundraisers, rallied their communities, and gave what they could—all in support of expanding access to eye care. Their collective efforts will enable OGS to continue to support projects that provide eye exams and eyeglasses to children and adults who might otherwise go without, restoring hope and opportunity through the gift of sight.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who took part in this year’s Challenge. The passion and commitment shown by the optometry community served as a powerful reminder of why this work matters—and what’s possible when people unite for a cause.

Inspired by this momentum, the organization remains dedicated to its mission: ensuring that everyone, everywhere, can enjoy the good vision they deserve.