NEW YORK—For some people the official start of the holiday season is signaled by the arrival of Black Friday or Cyber Monday. But a new tradition is starting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 as charities, families, businesses, community centers and students worldwide will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. Known as #GivingTuesday, this global day will be dedicated to giving back and several organizations in the optical community are hopping on this charity bandwagon.

Optometry Giving Sight is partnering with FUDEM, a non-profit organization in El Salvador, to provide vision care services for children living in the most vulnerable rural locations in the country through a crowdfunding campaign called “Windows of Light” (Ventanitas De Luz) program. Donations to Optometry Giving Sight will help ensure that up to 30,000 school-age children in the most impoverished areas of El Salvador are screened for the early detection and timely treatment of eye problems, such as uncorrected refractive error, as well being given referrals to the FUDEM eye hospital for more complex eye conditions and diseases.

Local teachers and community leaders will also receive training to build awareness of the causes of avoidable blindness and to conduct basic eye exams so they can help in the early detection of refractive errors. The campaign is currently live and will run through Dec.  31. Optometry Giving Sight is also participating in the #GivingTuesday event.

Prevent Blindness is taking part in the #GivingTuesday campaign this year by urging people to donate to their organization in order to prevent potentially blinding eye injuries or sight-threatening conditions in young children and older adults; improve the quality of life for those living with low vision; educate women on the increased risk of eye diseases and ways to prevent significant vision loss; and advocate for public health research and program funding related to vision. Last year Prevent Blindness screened more than two million children for potentially sight-threatening vision problems, referring more than 200,000 to eye doctors for professional care.

HelpMeSee, a global campaign to cure cataract blindness, has joined #GivingTuesday, with a Global Ambassador Video Search contest, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.

HelpMeSee’s Global #GivingTuesday campaign asks people to experience what it is like for the 20 million people living in the developing world who are currently blind with cataracts. To understand cataract blindness for just a moment in time, HelpMeSee invites people to film themselves conducting their favorite activity blind folded and to share their experience with the rest of the world on this #GivingTuesday.

During HelpMeSee’s Global #GivingTuesday campaign, they will be launching their first Global Ambassador Search, where participants demonstrate and address the challenges of a world with cataracts through their video submissions. Those who are interested in joining HelpMeSee’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit givingtuesday.helpmesee.org.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website, Facebook page or follow #GivingTuesday and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter.