ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The capabilities of people to “travel” via virtual reality (VR) headsets are revolutionizing everything from the tourism field to health care to retail.

And now, a new virtual reality (VR) demonstration that transports participants into the shoes of children and adults suffering from vision problems in a classroom setting, is part of a new video experience created by Think About Your Eyes (TAYE), the industry-wide campaign which is raising awareness about eye health and the need for comprehensive eyecare.

A new set of videos enable participants to have an “eye-opening” experience as they are actually able to see how poor vision can impact a child’s school experience. The timing of the new videos is designed to fully capture the experiences and the need for children to get their eyes examined before school.

TAYE is encouraging its partner companies and all ECPS to be involved in its far reaching campaign and to utilize the tools available for each media push.

These videos will be used in the current TAYE blog tour, in media outreach, and through paid distribution on social media. They're also available for download on the Partner Toolkit portion of the website.

TAYE is also encouraging partners and supports to spread the word to parents through social media using some prepared or model posts:

  • See what it’s like to be a child in a classroom with poor vision with @ThinkAboutEyes #virtualreality demonstration. http://bit.ly/2biBmHa
  • Watch the @ThinkAboutEyes #VR demonstration to see how your child might be seeing this school year. http://bit.ly/2biBmHa
  • Have your kids had their eyes checked? See how poor vision impacts learning with @ThinkAboutEyes #VR demonstration. http://bit.ly/2biBmHa
  • See why it’s why important to get your child an annual eye exam with this @ThinkAboutEyes #virtualreality experience. http://bit.ly/2biBmHa

Think About Your Eyes is a national public awareness campaign, presented by The Vision Council and the American Optometric Association, designed to educate the public on the benefits of vision health and promote the importance of getting an annual comprehensive eye exam. A number of leadership companies within the vision care field are leadership supporters of TAYE.