Transitions Optical Launches Healthy Sight Institute

Keynote speaker Sheila C. Johnson (l), Healthy Sight ambassador and chief executive officer of Salamander Hospitality, and Transition’s Bette Zaret, senior vice president of global strategic marketing, at the Healthy Sight Institute launch.	Susan Stenson, second from left, discusses her role as a member of the global steering committee at the Healthy Sight Institute launch event in Paris.

Supported by Transitions and unveiled during the recent Silmo International exhibition here, the Healthy Sight Institute is guided by a global steering committee of more than 25 health and eyecare professionals, and is dedicated to the protection and preservation of healthy sight, according to the company.

In its first phase, the Healthy Sight Institute will consist of an online resource center— www.healthysightinstitute.org—designed to offer a comprehensive range of preventive eye health and vision care information and resources. The Web site will provide clinical updates and publications, professional education courses and public education tools, as well as a forum for education and collaboration among health and vision care professionals, optical industry leaders, policy makers and the public “for a wider understanding of proactive and preventive eyecare choices.”

The site’s offering includes courses and papers for continuing education, links to related sites for additional resources and tools that can be shared with patients and in communities to raise awareness of eye health and vision care issues. All materials are downloadable from the site, free of charge.

“We believe that the Healthy Sight Institute Web site and the resources available through it will benefit professionals around the world by serving as a centralized bank of credible eye health and vision care research and specialized education,” said Robert Chappell, president of the World Council of Optometry and a member of the Institute’s steering committee. “The intention is to develop and expand the site as members of the Healthy Sight Institute steering committee and fellow professionals around the world collaborate to share knowledge on areas of interest.”

According to Transitions, the Healthy Sight Institute “acknowledges the strong link between healthy sight and overall health and wellness, and aims to provide tools and an environment to facilitate vision and health care professionals’ opportunity to increase their patients’ overall quality of life through achieving and enjoying healthy sight.”

The Healthy Sight Institute will also develop specific initiatives to address issues impacting vision and healthy sight. Initially, the Institute will address issues facing women and children.

“I am honored to be working with Transitions Optical and the Healthy Sight Institute to raise public awareness about the prevention and treatment of vision loss,” said Sheila Johnson, philanthropist and Healthy Sight Ambassador, during a keynote address at the Institute’s launch event here. “For years, I have worked to fight global poverty and improve the financial, emotional and physical health of women and children around the world. Eyesight is critical to their ability to lead productive lives and be invested in their futures. As a higher-risk group for poor eye health, women and children must be central to our campaign of education and action.”

Added Bette Zaret, Transitions’ senior vice president of global marketing, “Our hope for the Healthy Sight Institute is that it will serve as a valuable forum for delivering education and promoting collaboration in the quest to elevate the importance of vision enhancement and protection, giving vision care the attention it deserves as a critical global health issue. That’s why Transitions Optical is supporting this endeavor, and has played an important first step in bringing together this group of esteemed health care and vision care professionals from around the world to share their expertise and to hopefully drive positive change.” ■