Clearly, Canada's leading online eyewear retailer, believes that everyone deserves the right to sight. As part of their mission to eradicate poor vision, Clearly is dedicated to making eyewear affordable, eye health accessible, and raising awareness about the importance of good vision. 

Clearly is proud to partner with Seva Canada to provide the power of sight to people in low- and middle-income countries. In 2019, Clearly funded teacher-training sessions in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia, where teachers were taught to test their student's visual acuity to identify children with eye problems. 52 teachers (19 women) from 18 high schools screened 2,400 children. Those children who needed glasses or further care were referred to the the Eye Unit in the Mongkol Borei Provincial Hospital in Banteay Meanchey. 

Most recently, Clearly supported our Mother's Day campaign to provide cataract surgeries to mothers and children in low-income countries. This partnership will provide sight­-restoring cataract surgeries to 135 women and 45 children this year. 

©Clearly

We spoke with Dr. Justin Asgarpour, an optometrist and Clearly's Chief Vision and Mission Officer, to learn more about Clearly and its mission. 

Seva: What do you want readers to know about Clearly that they might be surprised to hear? 
Justin: Clearly is truly a mission-led organization and we are doing our part to equip Canadians and people around the world with proper vision. 

Seva: Tell us about Clearly's mission. 
Justin: Our mission is to make eye care accessible, affordable, and to create awareness about eye health. 2.5 billion people around the world don't have access to eye care. Clearly addresses this through partnerships with organizations like Seva Canada and with our national and global programs where we donate glasses to those in need. For example, with Clearly's Buy One, Give One program, every pair of glasses purchased results in a pair being donated to someone in need. 

In Canada, 25% of children have vision corrective needs but less than 14% of children by the age of 6 have had an eye exam. Since 80% of learning is processed through vision, there's a tremendous need for children to see properly. Through our in-store Free Glasses for Kids program, Clearly offers glasses to kids to help them reach their full potential and succeed in school. Approximately 4,000 pairs of glasses have been distributed so far to help children see, 65-70% of those children are wearing glasses for the first time. 

Seva: "Love Your Eyes" is this year's theme for World Sight Day on October 14th How does Clearly encourage Canadians to get their eyes examined? 
Justin: There are 2.2 million Canadians who do not have proper vision care. 1 out of 7 Canadians have a condition that could lead to permanent vision loss; 70% of that vision loss is preventable if the individual has proper treatment by a doctor. 

Clearly is helping to ensure all Canadians have access to proper eye care. We want all Canadians to see their optometrists to ensure their vision is corrected and their eyes are healthy. We try to facilitate this through our retail locations and community programs. For example, our Clearly for Community mobile vision centres visit underserved areas and provides glasses to Canadians in need. 
 

For more information on Clearly visit clearly.ca

Thank you Clearly for all you do to provide those in need with the gift of sight!