What is this initiative and how does it work?

It’s simple and very straightforward.

01. Shop

You buy a pair of Visual Mass glasses.

02. Donate

We tally up the number of glasses sold and make a monthly donation to our non-profit partners, in terms of glasses and lenses.

03. Paying It Forward

Together with the students and members of the Singapore Polytechnic Optometry Centre, our team works hard to spread awareness on good eye care to those in need locally, as well as in developing countries. We conduct vision screening and assess their eye health before dispensing glasses.

Why do we donate glasses?

More than 670 million people are unnecessarily blind or vision impaired due to refractive error, simply because they do not have access to an eye examination and a pair of glasses.
(source: www.brienholdenvision.org/global-eye-care-needs.html) Where to get: WHO etc.

This is why we have to make a difference. We’re determined to move this initiative onward by contributing glasses, as we believe that everyone has the right to see. We envision a world where everyone has access to appropriate eyewear.

What can a single pair of frames of do?

Having a pair of glasses that corrects vision allows children to attend schools and receive education. It also encourages adults to continue learning and contribute to the workforce. Improved literacy levels lead to a better workforce that boosts the economy. More importantly, it allows people to see their life as it is and improves their standard of living.

It is estimated that uncorrected vision results in a $202 billion loss in productivity to the global economy. For many living in developing countries suffering from vision loss, a pair of eyeglasses could mean the difference between opportunity and loss of income and quality of life. Glasses can increase productivity by 35 per cent, and increase monthly income by 20 per cent.
(source: www.usaid.gov/div/portfolio/optical-solution-envisioning)

Meet the people we work with

Our primary partner is Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Optometry, a pioneer in the field of eye care in Singapore. The school is actively involved in overseas community service and local vision outreach programs.

The Overseas Community Service program brings eye care services to various less fortunate countries that have inadequate access to eye care and require external help.

The Local Vision Outreach programs focus on helping the needy who cannot afford basic eye care. These programs also aim to increase public awareness on the need of complete and comprehensive eye care.

We have also partnered with OSA (Optical Supply of Asia – Singapore), a subsidiary of Essilor, to pair up prescription lenses for their events. We also plan to work with other non-profit organisations to extend the reach of this initiative, where prescription glasses can be distributed to a larger community and hence alleviate the issue of poor access.