The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation announced that it will collaborate with the World Health Organization's SPECS 2030, a global initiative to address refractive error, prevent myopia and improve access to vision care. The initiative aims to build on the world’s first global target to increase effective refractive error coverage by 40% by 2030, which was endorsed by WHO Member States in 2021 at the World Health Assembly, said a Foundation press release. 

The SPECS initiative focuses on five key pillars, according to the Foundation: Services, improving access to refractive services; Personnel, building the capacity of eye-care professionals; Education, promoting public awareness about eye health; Cost, reducing the cost of eyeglasses and services; and Surveillance, strengthening data collection and research. The Foundation will provide technical input, share best practices, and contribute data to inform WHO’s initiatives in alignment with the global eye care target of effective refractive error coverage, particularly in low-resource settings.

“Uncorrected poor vision affects 2.7 billion people worldwide, posing a significant global challenge. As a result of the Foundation’s efforts, 961 million people in some of the most remote communities now have access to vision care services within a day’s travel, and 84 million pairs of eyeglasses have been provided to those in need," said Anurag Hans, Head of Mission at EssilorLuxottica and President of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, highlighting the transformative potential of the collaboration. "However, achieving the Foundation’s ambition of eliminating uncorrected poor vision in a generation will require collaborations that amplify impact. By uniting WHO’s leadership in public health with our expertise in delivering innovative, on-the-ground solutions, we believe we can create a multiplier effect to extend vision care to even the most underserved regions. Together, we have the power to transform lives and uplift entire communities.”