PADUA, Italy—Safilo Group announced a new three-year commitment to Special Olympics at its extended global leadership team meeting on Feb. 2.

Since the partnership between Safilo and Special Olympics began in 2003, over 1 million optical frames and sunglasses have been provided to Special Olympics athletes all over the world. As part of Special Olympics global health platform made possible through the support of the Golisano Foundation and various stakeholders, the Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program provides Special Olympics athletes in more than 80 countries with vision examinations, prescription eyewear and valuable referrals for follow-up care.

Through Safilo’s renewed support for Special Olympics, they will donate over 160,000 spectacles and sunglasses per year until 2018 for the athletes of Special Olympics. Along with this, Safilo personnel will continue to take an active part in the implementation of the events as volunteers.

“It is Safilo’s honor to continue our longstanding partnership with Special Olympics. Serving society is at the heart of our industry. Eyewear exists to care for eye sight, nurture beauty and enable vision,” Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo Group said. “With Special Olympics, we serve athletes and specific broader groups with projects across the world, to bring their extraordinary visions to life. We are proud to contribute with our glasses, donating frames designed with craftsmanship and quality for comfort and fit.”

“Special Olympics has found that one out of every five athletes competing at games has never had an eye examination and more than one in three athletes need a new eyewear prescription,” Mary Davis, acting chief executive officer of Special Olympics, Inc. said. “Partners such as Safilo are crucial to the success of our Opening Eyes program because together we work to break down the barriers that people with intellectual disabilities experience when seeking quality health care and access to health services. We are extremely grateful for Safilo’s continued commitment to Special Olympics and we look forward to three more years of this important partnership which benefits athletes in such a significant way.”

Safilo’s involvement with Special Olympics has been as global supplier of the Opening Eyes vision care program. Opening Eyes, part of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes public health initiative, is the largest program in the world dedicated to providing vision care for people with intellectual disabilities. It was founded by Dr. Paul Berman of the American Optometric Association’s Sports Vision Section and formally incorporated into the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program in 1997. The Opening Eyes program also provides sports protective eyewear for athletes that train and compete in contact sports.