Sight For Millions: Connecting Communities Around the World to Quality Eye Care
Vision is one of the primary ways we experience the world, shaping our ability to learn, connect, pursue opportunities and savor life's most precious moments. But more than 2.2 billion people globally1, including 450 million children2, face visual impairment, including from untreated cataracts and uncorrected vision.
Johnson & Johnson is working to increase access to cataract surgery and comprehensive eye health services for children in resource-limited settings globally.
“By connecting people to essential eye services, we’re not just improving vision, we’re closing the gap between communities and care, unlocking potential and improving lives worldwide. Throughout 2024, I’m proud of the work we’ve done with partners around the world to continue to help increase access to quality eye care because everyone deserves the gift of sight,” said Peter Menziuso, Company Group Chairman, Vision, Johnson & Johnson.
Sight For Kids Expands to Reach More Children
Access to timely, high-quality eye care is especially critical for children. Correcting a child’s vision can help transform their educational experience and pave the way for a brighter future.
Through Sight For Kids (SFK), co-founded with Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) in 2002, we help provide free, comprehensive eye health services in low-income schools across North America, Africa, Asia and Europe. In fact, earlier this year, we celebrated the milestone of reaching more than 50 million students. The program supports no-cost in-person screenings and follow-up services, as well as training for teachers to identify visually impaired children and connect them to the care they need and deserve.
This year alone, through SFK, we provided 40,000 eyeglasses, supported the screening of more than 2.5 million children and expanded the program to Atlanta, Georgia and Hong Kong, China.
Reaching children across Georgia: In October, SFK launched in Georgia, where more than 30 percent of counties lack eye care services. In collaboration with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, the two-year program aims to provide vision screenings to 10,000 students across 50 schools in and around Atlanta and Savannah. The program kicked off with an event where more than 300 students received eye screenings and 20 percent were referred for additional care.
Improving eye health in Hong Kong: In September, SFK expanded to Hong Kong, where childhood myopia is rising rapidly, partially due to more time spent on screens. In collaboration with local organizations and government agencies, the two-year program aims to screen 5,000 underserved students and expects to provide more than 1,000 referrals for treatment, advanced care and follow-up services.
Delivering care in Paris: SFK launched a pilot program in Paris, focusing on mobilizing screenings for children, delivering awareness training for key stakeholders and facilitating coordinated follow-ups with local government support. The program aims to reach 5,000 students in its first year.
Sight For Kids Spooktacular: In collaboration with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League, we hosted the ‘Sight For Kids Spooktacular’ with the Jaguars Foundation LCIF. More than 50 JNJ employee volunteers had the opportunity to guide the children around a fun, interactive Halloween-themed event and 500 children from local Boys & Girls Clubs received free eye screenings.
Expanding reach in Egypt: Alongside local Lions and other community partners, Sight For Kids launched large scale program in the Gharbia Governorate in Egypt. Nearly 450,000 children will have received eye screenings this year.
“With Sight For Kids, we’re not just helping children see clearly. We’re improving children’s abilities to learn, grow, advance in school, build confidence, shape personal interactions, connect with the world, and build their opportunities for the future,” said Enzu Jeon, Lead, Pediatric Eye Health Stronghold at Johnson & Johnson. “While we’re making great strides, we know there is so much work left to do to help more students around the world have healthy vision.”
Addressing Cataracts and Restoring Sight Worldwide
Cataracts are treatable yet continue to be a leading cause of blindness. Alongside our collaborators, we are strengthening the health systems needed to deliver the high-quality eye health services communities deserve. In 2024, Johnson & Johnson was proud to support 18,000 cataract surgeries and train 300 surgeons.
Delivering life-changing surgeries: In collaboration with SEE International, a non-profit dedicated to providing eye care to millions in need, we are helping improve access to high-quality eye care services and cataract surgeries in 45 countries. In 2024, our work supported surgical trips for medical volunteers in India, Honduras and Namibia to work alongside local doctors and help restore eyesight to people at risk of blindness while providing training for health workers so that they can deliver care now and in the future.
Collaborating to end preventable blindness: This year, Johnson & Johnson partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), a global eye health coalition aiming to end preventable sight loss by 2030, to expand the IAPB Vision Atlas to include data collection for cataract surgery training and patient impact and create a credible global platform to measure impact.
Supporting sustainable eye care: In collaboration with the Cure Blindness Project, we are helping people retain and regain their sight across 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Cure Blindness Project has helped screen and provide basic treatment for more than 16 million people and performed more than one million sight-restoring surgeries globally. In 2024, we expanded our work to support the training of eye care professionals to develop high-quality, cost-effective and sustainable eye care solutions for communities.
Reaching communities in Latin America: Working with local organizations we supported screenings in Brazil, Colombia and Chile to help connect more communities across the region with quality eye care. In Brazil, we also supported the ‘De Olho nos Olhinhos’ campaign to spread awareness about eye health, diseases and the importance of early detection to treat vision impairment.
A Commitment to Vision Made Possible
At Johnson & Johnson, we’re on a mission to make vision possible. By helping to build health systems capacity, training health workers and community members to deliver care, we strive to achieve longstanding and meaningful impact in the communities we serve. Through continued collaborations we can support a future where quality eye care is accessible to all.
World Health Organization. Web site: Link. Accessed June 2023.
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. https://www.iapb.org/learn/vision-atlas/magnitude-and-projections/child-eye-health/
