- Blindness set to triple to 115 million by 2050 if action is not taken.
- Approximately 80% of all vision impairment globally is considered avoidable or curable.
- Crowcon, part of FTSE100 group Halma, screens employee eye health as part of global campaign to end preventable blindness.
- Campaign is raising money for sight-saving eye treatments in underserved communities.
Milton Park, 26 June 2019: Halma plc, FTSE 100 global group of life-saving technology companies, has screened hundreds of employees in the past eight months across more than 30 of its companies – raising funds for the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) as part of its global campaign to end preventable blindness.
Halma’s charity partner HCP works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in poor, rural and underserved communities in Africa and South Asia. The campaign supports the group’s purpose of growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.
The latest screenings are taking place at Crowcon, located in one of Europe’s largest science and tech business parks, Milton Park, in the UK. Beyond the standardised eye test using the Snellen chart, the eye health screenings also test for Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy – some of the leading causes of preventable blindness across the world today, using equipment developed by Halma company Volk.
Halma launched the campaign on World Sight Day 2018 (11 October), an international day of awareness held annually to focus attention on the global issue of blindness and visual impairment. With an ageing and growing population, blindness is set to triple by 2050, impacting 115 million people worldwide.
Halma is contributing $25 to HCP for each employee taking part in the eye screening – and every employee donation is being matched by an individual donor. Companies are also hosting peer-to-peer fundraising activities to collectively raise as much as possible to enable the work of HCP.
Andrew Williams, Group Chief Executive, said: “Through Halma’s eye health companies we produce world leading eye health technology – but we want to do more by raising awareness of the issue and partnering with HCP to bring sight-saving operations to thousands of people who cannot access eye care. With blindness set to triple, it’s vital that people can seek the right diagnosis and treatment so sight can be restored.”
Halma has five eye health companies in the group with a global presence, providing surgical instruments and diagnostic devices to assess eye health and assist with eye surgery. Halma’s ophthalmic companies are: Volk, Keeler, Medicel, MST and Visiometrics. Together, they represent some of the most well-loved brands by eye care professionals the world over.
About Halma
Halma plc is a global group of life-saving technology companies. Our innovative products and solutions address many of the key issues facing the world today. Together, we have a purpose that drives everything we do: Growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.
Our purpose defines the three broad market areas where we operate:
- Safety: protecting life as populations grow and urbanise and protecting worker safety.
- Environment: improving food and water quality, and monitoring air pollution.
- Health: meeting rising healthcare demand as growing populations age and lifestyles change.
We employ over 6,000 people in 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific. Halma is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has been a member of the FTSE 100 index since December 2017.
About Himalayan Cataract Project
The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP), an international NGO established in 1995, works to cure needless blindness with the highest quality care at the lowest cost. HCP does this through the provision of direct service, education and the establishment of world class eye care infrastructure. Over the past 24 years, working with partners in more than 20 countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, HCP has provided screening and treatment for over 9.9 million people, made it possible for over 810,970 people to regain their sight, and has indirectly served hundreds of thousands more through the 1,206 doctors and teams that HCP has trained.
Contacts:
- Halma: Kitty Parkes, Head of Content
- e: parkes@halma.com
- Brunswick Group: Quinn Wikeley, Director
- e: qwikeley@brunswickgroup.com
- HCP: Angelia Rorison, Communications Manager
- e: arorison@cureblindness.org
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