Photo by: Megan Westervelt

Two sophomores have decided that the eyes of the student body are worth talking about. Di Di Wei and Allie Moore, students in the Pioneer Leadership Program, founded a DU chapter of the national Unite for Sight organization.

Unite for Sight was originally founded at Yale University in 2000.

The DU chapter, in conjunction with other national collegiate and high school chapters, works to educate and empower communities regarding the importance and necessity of eye maintenance and the elimination of preventable blindness.

Unite for Sight benefits both sighted and blind citizens around the world. Thus far it has affected 900,000 people in North America, Asia and Africa by educating them on eye health, connecting them with complete eye exams and eye-care organizations, like EyeCare America or VisionUSA, founded by the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association, respectively.        

The Unite for Sight national organization also sponsors mission trips to Ghana, Honduras and India, where volunteers help set up clinics, deliver suppliers and reinforce the importance of eye health.

More significantly, Unite for Sight also has reached its goal for sponsoring 27,000 sight-restoring surgeries by the end of the year.

As a non-profit, Unite for Sight relies on effective philanthropy and student leadership and operates via contributions and donated services and materials.

The DU chapter’s initial goals have not yet been as impactful.

The club’s short-term goals include developing a strong footing on campus and recruiting more volunteers, only then can it begin to raise awareness about the importance of regular eye care, said Regan Spencer, director of membership.

“We will organize screening events where we offer basic acuity tests and refer community members to eye care professionals,” said Spencer.

“Fundraising is another main focus, and 100 percent of what we raise will go directly to eye care programs working with Unite for Sight. In the long run, we hope to establish our chapter as a staple of the DU community for students to work with for years to come.”

The DU chapter also hopes to host educational events because raising eye-health awareness within the college community is one of their goals.

“Eighty percent of blindness is preventable, 36 million people worldwide are needlessly blind, and 60 to 80 percent of children who become blind die within one to two years. If we can help make a difference for these people, why wouldn’t we?” said Spencer.

For those interested, there are weekly chapter meetings every Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Nelson private dining room.  More information is available at www.UniteforSight.org.

Membership questions can be directed to Spencer at regan.spencer@du.edu.