RestoringVision Engages Two New Brands to Join its Customer Giving Initiative, Further Advancing Private Sector Impact in Solving the Global Vision Crisis

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 31, 2023) – RestoringVision is thrilled to announce two new optical brands have committed to engaging their customers at the point of sale to donate and build the movement of vision champions supporting people in need of vision services and eyeglasses worldwide. 

MAMAEYEWEAR and OPR Eyewear – two New York City-based companies – are now newly engaging their customers in donating at the point of sale to help solve the global vision crisis, in which over 1 billion people worldwide have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. These brands are joining a movement of companies working to help solve the global vision crisis. Giving back is good for business, and this global movement to support people living in extreme poverty through increased access to vision services and eyeglasses includes a network of donors like National Vision, Inc., Warby Parker, Jimmy Fairly, and FGX International, among others. 

RestoringVision’s Customer Giving Initiative will continue to sign on new companies in the optical sector as RestoringVision serves as an advocate and a nonprofit partner to help companies and their customers increase their global impact. RestoringVision is a global nonprofit that creates equitable access to vision services and eyeglasses for people living on less than $2 a day through the provision of vision screenings and eyeglasses. 

MAMAEYEWEAR and OPR Eyewear are jointly owned by Idriss Nestor and Federica Scala, a married couple based in New York City who share a passion for sustainability and giving back in their business practices. MAMAEYEWEAR and OPR customers now have the option to donate $1, $2, $5, $10, or a custom amount at checkout to RestoringVision in support of the organization’s programs.  

Of the 1 billion people with a vision impairment that could have been prevented or have yet to be addressed, 81% or 826 million people globally only need reading glasses to see clearly once again – but they cannot access or afford them. Private sector partnerships like these will be critical in helping to solve this global vision crisis. 

“Since the inception of our brands, Federica and I have always envisioned our entrepreneurial life with one essential pillar: giving back.  We didn’t know how or in what form, but for us, rewarding collaborators, solidifying partnerships, practicing gratitude and empathy are part of who we are and therefore must be part of what we do. We believe RestoringVision is aligned with our vision where the simplest gesture might change someone else’s life for the better — and sometimes forever,” said Idriss Nestor, Co-Founder, OPR Eyewear and MAMAEYEWEAR. 

OPR Eyewear creates luxury hand-crafted, custom eyewear, 100% made in Italy by master artisans using the finest quality materials with a flagship brick-and-mortar store located in New York City, where customers can now donate to support RestoringVision’s mission at checkout.  After successfully launching OPR Eyewear, the co-owners envisioned a second brand that would provide superior eyeglasses at a significantly lower price point while standing for values that truly matter to them and their customers all through an online platform, and MAMAEYEWEAR was born. Today, customers can donate to RestoringVision online as they complete the purchasing process at www.mamaeyewear.com.  

“RestoringVision is incredibly proud to partner with such forward-thinking business owners who are dedicated to the concept that giving back is good for business,” said Pelin Munis, Ph.D., CEO of RestoringVision. “MAMAEYEWEAR and OPR Eyewear – our newest partners in RestoringVision’s Customer Giving Initiative – are now empowering their customers to become vision champions for people living in poverty worldwide who cannot access or afford the vision services and eyeglasses they need to see clearly. The momentum for customer giving in the optical sector is growing, and we applaud Idriss Nestor and Federica Scala for engaging their customers in donating to RestoringVision at the point of sale. We are truly grateful for their partnership and for their dedication to the people we serve, and we look forward to signing on more companies to this initiative in the coming months.” 

Earlier this year, RestoringVision partnered to highlight the power of customer giving at Vision Expo East in New York City with National Vision, Inc. during the Vision Monday Leadership Summit. As the organization seeks to bring customer giving to the optical sector, RestoringVision continues to amplify the power that companies and their customers can have on people living in poverty worldwide who cannot access or afford the eyeglasses they need to see clearly. 

Your company can join this movement. Contact give@restoringvision.org to learn more. Click here to download your Customer Giving How-To Guide to learn about how giving back is good for business. 

Learn more about OPR Eyewear by visiting www.opreyewear.com. Learn more about MAMAEYEWEAR at https://www.mamaeyewear.com/ 

RestoringVision is a global nonprofit dedicated to ending the global vision crisis. The organization is committed to creating equitable access to vision services and eyeglasses, particularly for individuals living on less than $2 a day.  One billion people have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed, 81% of which could be corrected with a simple pair of reading glasses. We work to solve this global crisis by partnering with our unparalleled network of 3,000 NGOs and government partners to provide life-changing vision screenings and eyeglasses to millions of people who could not access them otherwise. RestoringVision has reached 25 million people in 147 countries since 2003.  For more information, visit restoringvision.org. Interested in partnering to support highly cost-effective programs that bring immediate and sustained transformation in marginalized people’s lives? Please contact us: give@restoringvision.org. 

CONTACT:  

Stephanie Godward, Director of Marketing and Communications 

RestoringVision 

Mobile: (415) 636-6973 ext. 103 EST 

stephanie@restoringvision.org