CHENNAI: The India Vision Institute (IVI) on Thursday launched ‘Sea to See’, a campaign aimed at providing corrective glasses to over 25,000 people from fishing communities using spectacle frames made from discarded fishing nets.
Launched at Kottivakkam on World Sight Day, the campaign seeks to combine eye care with environmental sustainability. Discarded fishing nets pose a threat to marine life, coastal habitats and navigation when they end up in the ocean.
Deputy Consul-General and Head of Bureau of France in Chennai Christophe Bramoullé joined IVI in distributing reading glasses with frames made from recycled fishing nets to beneficiaries from fishing communities.
IVI CEO Vinod Daniel said the campaign would focus on community eye care while promoting the responsible use of resources. Supported by Bourbon Offshore, the campaign will build on IVI’s existing vision screening and spectacles programmes for underserved communities across India.