UTILA CAYS ISLAND, Honduras—A school on Utila Cays Island, off the coast of Honduras, educates 80 eager and enthusiastic children, or 16 percent of the total population of 500. But because there are no eyecare resources available on the island, some students do not have eyeglasses and therefore have trouble learning.

After discovering this unmet need from Jim and Sheri Doyle, volunteers from Richmond, Va., who had experienced the areas’ challenges firsthand, Zeiss stepped in to help. Zeiss remotely instructed the Doyles about how to download and use an interactive acuity test app for near and far vision. The test identified five children in need of vision correction.

The five youngsters were transported via boat to a neighboring island to visit an OD. Zeiss provided electronic frame option images to the children, who then selected the ones that they liked. The students then sent along their prescriptions to Zeiss, but did not have their PD measurements. However, Zeiss was able to remotely teach someone on the island, via YouTube, how to measure PDs.

Each of the five children received a free pair of stylish eyeglasses with a premium Zeiss Individual Single Vision Lens with PhotoFusion technology and DuraVision Platinum coating, which were edged and fitted in Zeiss’ Hebron, Ky. lab.

“With a determined heart, generous volunteers and innovative technologies, Zeiss was able to empower five children to see the world more clearly and set themselves up for a better tomorrow,” said Troy Anderson, go-to-market and communications manager for Zeiss.

akarp@jobson.com

Zeiss arranged for the students to travel from their home on a remote island off the coast of Honduras to get their eyes examined by an optometrist and get new glasses.
Honduran students wearing eyeglasses provided by Zeiss.