Impaired vision is a problem that affects approximately 7 million people according to the CDC. For some, eyecare can be expensive and inaccessible. Partnering with The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, juniors Aditi Pabbidi, Sunidhi Wudutha and Akshay Chenna aim to make glasses affordable for people in Forsyth County through recycled frames and outreach events.
Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation is an organization that works to provide affordable and accessible eyecare for those with financial need. Pabbidi was inspired to start a student chapter of this foundation after her experience shadowing at a neuro-ophthalmology clinic last summer.
“I noticed significant disparities in access to eye care and health literacy,” Pabbidi explained. “And these disparities highlighted the urgent [need] for community driven initiatives to improve eye care and vision. And I notice how people struggle when they aren’t given proper access to eye care.”
Such observations led Pabbidi to taking action, allowing her to bring attention to an issue that many may not know about.
For Chenna and Wudutha, the mission was personal. Both grew up in households where vision impairment was a challenge for close family members. Chenna watched his brother deal with severe eyesight issues, while Wudutha’s brother struggled with both colorblindness and astigmatism. Chenna notes that his experience helped him realize that eyecare needed to be changed.
“I kind of just realized that eyecare is something that really hasn’t been innovated upon for so many years,” Chenna observed. “And if no one’s gonna innovate it, at least make a difference with what we have right now.”
Through their experiences, Chenna And Wudutha recognized the need in their community and it led them to joining forces with Pabbidi.
After partnering with the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, the group started setting up collection boxes in public spaces, like libraries, schools and places of worship to collect frames. These frames were then sent to the foundation to be recycled for others to wear. However, the process to place the collection boxes wasn’t easy and the group faced some difficulties to get to that point.
“It was difficult for us to convince them to put these boxes in their area because a lot of times we weren’t allowed to,” Pabbidi said. “The library said that we weren’t allowed to keep boxes there, so we just kept our flyers there and the nursing homes said no in the beginning, but after we talked to them for a bit and we explained to them who we were, they let us keep our boxes there.”
Collecting glasses is just the beginning. The group plans on holding workshops to educate people on ocular health and increase their outreach. By connecting to local spaces, the group also hopes that their story and efforts inspire people to start thinking of ways to bring affordable healthcare to those who need it.
