ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Think About Your Eyes, the national public awareness campaign about the importance of scheduling an annual eye exam with an optometrist, is partnering with professional athlete and lifestyle expert Laila Ali to promote the campaign’s message. The partnership encourages parents to schedule an annual eye exam for their children during the summer break from school. Ali needed vision correction from a young age, and is vigilant about her own vision health and receiving an annual eye exam. Her daughter has needed vision correction since age five, prompting Ali to recognize the importance of annual eye exams for children.

Through this partnership, Ali will participate in television interviews with lifestyle shows around the country, interviews with lifestyle publications and websites, and post to her Facebook account, which currently has an audience of more than four million users. She will focus on the importance of an annual eye exam for all members of the family, especially children, and discuss her family’s vision correction needs. She will also promote the Think About Your Eyes doctor locator.

“Think About Your Eyes recognizes the power that a celebrity has in conveying a message,” said Dr. Steve Loomis, chairman of Think About Your Eyes. “Laila’s personal vision story and her popularity make her a natural fit for our campaign to promote the importance of an annual eye exam and overall vision health.”

Ali, daughter of professional boxer Muhammad Ali, is a four-time undefeated world boxing champion. Since her retirement from the sport, Ali has become a cooking enthusiast, appearing on Chopped, Rachel Ray, and The Chew, and published two cookbooks, the most recent of which was released in January. She is a past president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, ambassador for the New York City Triathlon, and a frequent sports commentator for NBC and CBS. She blogs about healthy living at Laila Ali Lifestyle.

The partnership with Ali occurs in tandem with the third quarter advertising for Think About Your Eyes, which includes ads on 41 cable networks, Spotify, Pandora and 70 million online display ads. Think About Your Eyes Facebook posts will reach a larger audience through increased paid promotion from June through August and ECPs are encouraged to share those Facebook posts with their followers. Think About Your Eyes has also created a “Schools Out Partner Guide” with the specifics of the program to help partners and ECPs take part, too.

Think About Your Eyes is a national public awareness initiative in partnership with the American Optometric Association, focused on educating consumers about the importance of vision health and annual comprehensive eye exams. Current partners include 42 state optometric associations, Alcon, The Vision Council, All About Vision, Gunnar Optiks, Jobson Optical Group, National Vision, Inc. (NVI), SpecialEyes, Hilco, Walman, Transitions, Shamir, Essilor, Luxottica Group, Eschenbach, Johnson & Johnson Vision, First Vision Media Group, Vision Expo, Optolec, Compliancy Group, and WestGroupe.