At the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, we believe that everyone deserves ‘The Right To See.’

Our team is committed to ensuring access to quality vision care for everyone in Oceania. We focus on establishing sustainable eye care services to some of the most remote areas of the planet and collaborate with other organizations to fill gaps to provide life-changing eye care to people in need. Together with our partners, we are dedicated to eliminating uncorrected poor vision across the region.

To see our programs in action, explore our YouTube playlist and read on to hear from Wayne Tennent, our Regional Head in this region.

Oceania Region Playlist

Experience the life-changing work we're undertaking in Oceania by watching our regional playlist:

Hear what Wayne Tennent has to say about our mission to deliver 'The Right To See' and how this makes a difference in Oceania.

What does 'The Right To See' Look Like to Wayne Tennent?

Wayne Tennent

‘The Right To See’ means providing access for marginalized populations in our region, including indigenous communities, low socio-economic populations, refugees and asylum seekers. Access to quality vision care support in the areas where we work, including the Pacific Islands, is challenging due to the lack of human resources, consistent quality care and access to spectacles - which could be as simple as a pair of reading glasses. It’s challenging to witness limited access in Pacific countries. Beyond main centers of excellence, many communities lack access to spectacles that could transform lives, and that’s what I aim to support.
In a region that is geographically spread and challenging to get to, our team is proud to have provided access to spectacles in 16 countries. Many of these locations are remote islands, and with the support of local partners, government organizations and other NGOs we are making a difference in people’s lives.
From the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to remote islands like Tokelau in The Pacific, our team finds ways to distribute spectacles to ensure people get ’The Right To See‘. Transportation may vary from 4WD vehicles traversing rocky and remote roads in PNG to a 24-Hour boat trip from Apia, Samoa to get to Tokelau; we are fortunate to have great partners that support our Foundation to make this happen.
A story that comes to mind for me was based around the work that we do in the Cook Islands as we partner with the Ministry of Health to serve the most remote islands that have limited access to services not to mention access to eye care and spectacles. I received a message and picture from one of the health nurses around an elderly gentleman that was terminally ill. In a very faith-based country, all he wanted was to be able to read the Bible in his last days. We were able to provide access to a simple pair of reading glasses which provided some level of comfort to this individual. Our ability to offer him glasses made a difference for him, and we were proud to have provided this basic level of support.

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Major Accomplishments in Oceania:

Funding Subsidized and Free Services for Individuals and Communities in Oceania

We collaborate with leading nonprofit organizations and agencies to support delivery of services to at risk populations and communities at locations like homeless shelters and addiction rehabilitation services. We partner with the Salvation Army, Mission Australia, the Red Cross and Settlement Services International to provide refugees (especially those from Ukraine) with the best possible start to their lives in Australia with access to vision care and free glasses.

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Providing Services to Some of the Most Remote Areas of the Planet
There is an incredible opportunity to make a real impact across the Pacific.
For example, Kiribati has a population of about 120,000 people, but only 60,000 people live on the main island of Tarawa. Of the total 33 atolls, only 20 islands are inhabited which host the other 60,000 people. Unfortunately, there is not substantial access to eye care across these islands – largely because these islands are incredibly challenging to reach. We work with teams on the main island to understand the workforce, their experience, their capacity to support the other islands, and then we step into our role – whether that be supply chain needs or other facets of providing eye care as we look to support this large expansive area.

Overall, our challenge and goal throughout the Pacific is to bring access to these very remote communities. Our team in Oceania is very proud of our efforts supporting the supply chain, collaborating with other organizations and filling identified gaps to provide life-changing eye care to tens of thousands of people.

Settling Children Up for Success in Life Through Our Partnership with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia

Vision development is critical for a child’s cognitive development. We partner with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia to provide specialized spectacle options to children born with congenital cataracts, which impacts their vision from birth.

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Together with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, we're helping shape brighter vision journeys for these young ones, ensuring that children receive vital vision support.

Our team in Australia organized a community vision clinic with The Salvation Army in Melbourne, Australia helping a diverse population in need. Experience it firsthand in this video:

Enjoyed learning about our work in Oceania? Check out our efforts to provide good vision throughout North America in our regional impact story here.

To stay up to date on our global work, follow us on social media:

What ‘The Right To See’ Looks Like in Oceania 2024

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