Opening Eyes Partners With the help of the World Council of Optometry and other organizations, Special Olympics has been able to establish Opening Eyes initiatives in North America, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, China and the Asia Pacific region. The partnership is making a major contribution to vision health in developing nations, reaching people with intellectual disabilities whose needs have gone unmet, while raising the level of the public's vision health in general. Special Olympics thank the following Opening Eyes Partners for their generosity and assistance: Lions Clubs International Essilor International The Sàfilo Group Liberty Sport Lions Clubs International In 2000, the Lions Clubs International Foundation made a generous donation that made it possible to expand Special Olympics' Opening Eyes initiative globally (now known as Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes®). The contribution not only maintains and improves all aspects of the initiative, but also helps provide volunteer support to the organization. A major focus of the Lions Clubs grant is the development of Train-the-Trainer sessions for clinical directors to implement Opening Eyes venues as part of Special Olympics Games within Special Olympics Programs. These clinical directors use seed money from the grant, along with technical assistance and donated materials and equipment secured by Special Olympics from various companies, to make the screening programs possible and sustainable. Ultimately, these programs depend on the generosity of eye care professionals at the local level who donate their time and talents. The partnership enables Opening Eyes to reach one of the world's most underserved population — those with intellectual disabilities. < More on Lions Clubs International and its relationship with Special Olympics > Essilor International — Official Global Supplier Essilor International is the official global supplier of ophthalmic lenses to Opening Eyes. Essilor, the world leader in ophthalmic optical products, first agreed to support Special Olympics' vision health program in 2002. Prior to that, Essilor had been involved in Opening Eyes on the local level, but the company was proud to sign on as the exclusive official supplier of ophthalmic lenses for the initiative. The first Special Olympics Sports Health Center in the world, dedicated in the name of Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was established at Wenzhou Medical College in Wenzhou, China in 2004 to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities in becoming qualified to participate in Special Olympics. During the opening celebration, nearly 500 new Special Olympics athletes joined the movement after receiving sports medical exams and Opening Eyes screenings, administered by volunteer students from Wenzhou Medical College. "We see this relationship as a win for Essilor and Special Olympics," said Marc Alexandre, Director of Essilor's Medical and Professional International Relations Department, "but more importantly for eye care providers whose expertise is critical to us. Along with our efforts to develop prevention and eye care education, [Opening Eyes] events are perfect opportunities for health care providers and students to gain practical, hands-on training about the needs and care of this population. Essilor will help eye care providers who volunteer at Opening Eyes events improve their clinical skills and have their attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities transformed." Paris-based Essilor International offers a wide range of lenses under the flagship Varilux®, Crizal®, Airwear® and Essilor brands to correct myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism. "Essilor is pleased and proud to provide support for this important endeavor," said Philippe Alfroid, Essilor's Chief Operating Officer. "Through Opening Eyes' vision screening exams, Essilor will conduct a significant effort to open the eyes of athletes, educators, researchers, parents, coaches and practitioners to the fact that people with intellectual disabilities deserve the same quality of vision care as every other person." Sàfilo is present in more than 120 countries around the world and markets its products through subsidiaries and exclusive distributors. The Sàfilo Group At the beginning of 2003, The Sàfilo Group signed a three-year agreement with Special Olympics in support of the Opening Eyes program. Sàfilo supports the Opening Eyes program by supplying free optical frames and sunglasses. Sàfilo, which has always paid special attention to social causes and to the world of sports in general, found it natural to get involved with Opening Eyes.  During the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, members of the Special Olympics Brazil team gather with Vittoria Smania (seated at right) of Sàfilo® Group of Padova, Italy at the Healthy Athletes venus. [Photo by Dr. Stephen Corbin] Sàfilo donated 11,000 frames and 20,000 sunglasses per year from 2003-2008, and is already working to give Special Olympics and Opening Eyes support in various other ways, including promotional material and special press releases. The Sàfilo Group, one of the world's leading producers of optical glasses, sunglasses and eyewear for sports, does business on the international market, with collections bearing its own Sàfilo brand, as well as the Carrera, Smith, Oxydo and Blue Bay labels, in addition to the licensed lines produced on behalf of Gucci, Polo Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Diesel, Valentino, Oliver by Valentino, Max Mara, Pierre Cardin, Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Boucheron. For the American market, Sàfilo produces the Fossil, Nine West, Kate Spade and Saks Fifth Avenue collections. Liberty Sport According to a 2001 report by Prevent Blindness of America, there are approximately over 38,000 sports-related eye injuries requiring emergency room care — a number that doesn't include the treatment of eye injuries in a private practitioners office. An Opening Eyes sponsor for more than five years, Liberty Sport is committed to communicate and educate eyewear consumers on the performance differences between streetwear eyeglasses and its Liberty Sport protective sports eyewear, designed to prevent sports related eye injuries. Liberty Sport has been the leader in the growing national movement promoting eye safety during scholastic and recreational sports. In 1978 Liberty introduced the first Rx-able protective sports eyewear. Today over 20,000 eyecare professionals in the USA and the world rely on Liberty Sport when it comes to providing the best possible protective sports eyewear to both children and adults. The impact of a ball or other equipment as well as an opponent's hands and elbows pose a threat to an athlete's visual safety. School-aged competitors are particularly prone to eye injuries since their athletic skills (hand-eye coordination, balance, reaction time, and speed) are still being developed. However, regardless of an individual's age or skill level, every athlete's eyes are targets for injury. Under most circumstances, at least 90% of sports-related eye injuries are preventable with the proper use of protective sports eyewear. Liberty Sport protective eyewear is produced to meet the rigid performance tests of ASTM and is the only eyewear to have the AOA Seal of Acceptance.