SmartBuyGlasses partners with Sightsavers to contribute towards Million Miracles appeal

Buying a pair of specs will help give the gift of sight to a blind person in a developing country

International development charity Sightsavers and global online retailer The SmartBuyGlasses Optical Group have teamed up, so that for every pair of prescription glasses bought on any SmartBuyGlasses website throughout the month of April, £1.50 will be donated to Sightsavers' Million Miracles appeal.

More than twenty million people in the world are blind due to cataracts. Yet cataracts are easily treatable with a straightforward operation. For many people living in the poorest parts of the world however, surgery is beyond their means. Often people do not have access to a health centre, do not know their condition is treatable, or simply cannot afford the operation.

Sightsavers is able to treat cataracts for just £30, and customers of SmartBuyGlasses will be helping to give the gift of sight to people living with vision loss in Africa and Asia.

Doron Kalinko, CEO and Co-Founder of SmartBuyGlasses says:

“We're really excited to partner with Sightsavers for the Million Miracles appeal, and can't wait to see the impact of this collaboration. Since 2006, we've helped over 80,000 people in the developing world by donating prescription eyewear. It's great to work with new partners to diversify the ways in which we give back, since driving global change is the foundation stone of the SmartBuyGlasses Optical Group.”

Sightsavers' Million Miracles appeal is aiming to raise enough funds to carry out one million of these life-changing operations over three years.

Mike Straney, Director of Major Giving at Sightsavers says:

“Partnerships like this can give a huge boost to the work we are doing to protect and restore sight in the world's poorest countries. We are so thrilled to be working with SmartBuyGlasses, and hope this opportunity will encourage consumers to feel a sense of pride that they're helping other people to see, when buying their specs online.”

To find out more visit sightsavers.org or www.smartbuyglasses.co.uk/sightsavers-million-miracles

For further press information, case studies, or interviews, please contact Julie Jenner in the Sightsavers media team on 01444 446690 or jjenner@sightsavers.org

Notes to Editors

The World Health Organization estimates that 153 million people worldwide live with visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive errors. http://www.who.int/features/qa/45/en/

About SmartBuyGlasses

SmartBuyGlasses is the world's leading online designer eyewear destination with operations across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Since 2006, SmartBuyGlasses has empowered customers in over 35 countries to shop their own style, offering over 180 brands and 80,000 different products. www.smartbuyglasses.co.uk

About Sightsavers:

1.Sightsavers is a registered UK charity (Registered charity numbers 207544 and SC038110) that works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people with disabilities. www.sightsavers.org

2.There are 39 million blind people in the world; 80% of all blindness can be prevented or cured.

3.In the six decades since its foundation, Sightsavers has:

• Supported over 576.79 million treatments for blinding and potentially blinding conditions
• Carried out over 8.14 million operations to restore sight
• Trained more than 500,000 primary eye care workers
• Carried out rehabilitation training for 181,000 blind or low vision beneficiaries
• Supported 38,000 blind or low vision children to gain a school education