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HRH The Countess of Wessex, Commonwealth High Commissioners and politicians gathered to discuss the importance of eye health for children across the Commonwealth. The event in London, hosted by the Vision for the Commonwealth Coalition, highlighted the inextricable link between child eye health and education ensuring no child is left behind.
As part of the event, HRH The Countess of Wessex presented 13-year-old Lowri Moore with the inaugural Love Your Eyes Campaigner of the Year Award. Lowri was recognised for her work advocating for young glasses wearers to have positive representation in the media.
“It was such an honour and a privilege to be presented with the Love Your Eyes Campaigner of the Year Award by HRH The Countess of Wessex…So great to be with people who are so passionate about changing things to that everyone has the chance to see clearly,” commented Lowri on receiving the award.
In 2019, when she was nine, Lowri asked her mum if she could write to Disney to include a main character who uses glasses. Lowri loved Disney films but wanted children around the world to be proud of their glasses. Lowri’s campaign went viral and caught the attention of media around the world. In 2021, Disney released its award-winning Encanto, in which the main character Mirabel is a glasses wearer.
“I’m over the moon at receiving this award and pleased that I can encourage more people no matter their age to love their eyes. I could never have imagined the difference one letter to Disney could make. It’s been a lesson in following your passion to be the change you wish to see in the world,” added Lowri.
James Chen Global Ambassador for the IAPB and founder of the Clearly campaign concluded “All of us at IAPB and Clearly are so proud of Lowri and the impact her campaign has had for millions of children who wear glasses around the world. When Lowri spoke to sector leaders at Clearly’s Sightgeist event in 2019 we could only dream that Disney were working on a main character that wears glasses. We all have a role to play in breaking down stigmas and I’d like to congratulate Lowri and Disney for their contribution to ensuring everyone everywhere can love their eyes.”
Congratulations to Lowri who now has her sights set on introducing positive emojis for glasses wearers.
VisionSpring, a global social enterprise accelerating the use of eyeglasses in emerging and frontier markets, has increased their commitment to the IAPB by upgrading their membership of the global alliance to a Band A Member.
The Vision Catalyst Fund (VCF) is thrilled to announce the recipients of its first financial grants under the Eye Health Accelerator initiative.
