ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council has announced that National Sunglasses Day 2021 garnered more than more than 1.1 million impressions and more than 70,000 engagements. Participants included Kerry Washington and Sofia Vergara, as well as NASCAR, The New York Giants, and Golf Digest. In addition, The Vision Council distributed a press release through PR Newswire to elevate awareness and get consumers involved; the campaign garnered pickup in 129 outlets and reached a potential audience of 127 million, The Vision Council said.

In addition to celebrities and media outlets, ECPs and other members of the optical community took to social media to get involved with National Sunglasses Day, too, as VM reported last week. Many shared educational resources on why UV protection is so important, including free resources provided by The Vision Council. Some also held special sales and promotions on sunglasses and lenses.


The Vision Council’s medical advisor, Bridgitte Shen Lee, OD, was also featured on The Weather Channel earlier this week as part of a segment about the importance of wearing sunglasses year-round. To view the segment, visit The Vision Council’s YouTube channel.
 
In addition, Essilor shared that its employees celebrated with a #NationalSunglassesDay Show Us Your Shades contest to submit selfies with themselves, their colleagues, family and friends and explain why wearing sunglasses is important to them. In addition, Essilor spread the word to eyecare professionals and patients of the importance of wearing sunglasses through outreach.

Millicent Knight, OD, senior vice president, customer development group, Essilor of America, said, "At Essilor, we are proud to participate in this campaign to drive awareness about the importance of wearing sunglasses to protect our eyes and, therefore, arguably our most important sense—sight... People are living longer and it is critical to the long term health of their vision to educate them on the importance of protecting their eyes—and thankfully, there are effective and fashionable solutions for doing so. Educating patients about the benefits of quality Essilor sun lenses for eye safety alongside fashionable Luxottica frame brands they know and love will help them make a smart investment in the long term health of their eyes.”

National Sunglasses Day falls on June 27 every year. Next year, National Sunglasses Day will take place Monday, June 27, 2022.