Philanthropist James Chen announcing the launch of Project Oversight in New York last week on World Sight Day.
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NEW YORK—James Chen, the philanthropist and investor behind UK charity Vision for a Nation and variable focus eyewear company Adlens, hosted a party in New York on World Sight Day to announce the launch of a project aimed at providing eyecare to 2.5 billion people around the world suffering from poor vision.

At a reception held last Thursday night on Manhattan’s West Side, Chen asked guests to support his new global initiative, Project Oversight. Chen said the project will be guided by “patient philanthropy,” a personal philosophy he said can lead to “a new vision for social transformation.”

“We are willing to take risks for long term social rewards in the belief that solutions require dedication for a generation that prioritizes the needs of stakeholders ahead of the profit of shareholders,” Chen said. He added, “I found my life purpose with the concept of providing vision access to vision correction. Vision for a Nation in Rwanda now means that people there have access to eye screening and the opportunity to buy affordable glasses.”

Project Oversight will be running a challenge over the next year which will invite the public to reimagine and design the way the world can have access to vision correction. The three individuals or groups with the most promising ideas will each be rewarded with a $100,000 seed grant to help them realize their ideas.

Vision for a Nation will begin accepting proposals later this fall and announce the winners by early next spring. The final report will be presented to the world on World Sight Day 2016.

Adlens CEO Mike Ferrara, who also spoke at the New York launch event, said Adlens would donate 7.5 percent of its sales from now through the end of the year to help sponsor Project Oversight.

Click here to see a slideshow of photos from the event.