Sunny Sessions
Sunny Sessions with Trudi Peterman
We sat down with professionals in the optical and eyewear industry to discuss all things eye health and why our eyesight is something we shouldn't take for granted. Keep reading to find out about the amazing work Trudi and the rest of the OneSight team do to provide communities across the globe access to eye care.
with Trudi Peterman, volunteer for the nonprofit organisation, OneSight.
During the month of July, we sat down with professionals in the optical and eyewear industry to discuss all things eye health and why our eyesight is something we shouldn't take for granted. Trudi is Queensland's Ray-Ban representative and has worked for the world's largest eyewear company, Luxottica, for thirteen years. Not only passionate about eyewear, Trudi's work includes promoting the importance of eye health and has spent the last decade working with OneSight to eradicate the vision care crisis. Keep reading to find out about the amazing work Trudi and the rest of the OneSight team do to provide communities across the globe access to eye care.
Please tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved with OneSight?
I am the Ray-Ban rep for Queensland and have been working for Luxottica for 13 years now and one of the reasons I love my job is because Luxottica supports any of us who want to give up our time for OneSight. I originally started out organising fundraising events that raised over $14k per event and then started participating in vision screening clinics in 2012. My first major clinic was in Thailand where 50 volunteers from all over the world came together and we screened 8,500 people in 2 weeks and gave out 8,000 pairs of glasses. It was without a doubt the most rewarding thing I have ever been involved in.
Can you give us an insight into what kind of work OneSight does?
OneSight is an independent nonprofit leading the global movement to help the world see clearly by providing access to eye exams and glasses to underserved communities worldwide. 1 in 7 people or 1.1 billion people worldwide can’t see clearly because they have no way to get an exam or a pair of glasses.
What is the reality for those who do not have access to proper eye care?
80% of learning is visual. Clear vision empowers students to perform up to twice as well in school. Yet even in the U.S., nearly 1 in 4 students have an undiagnosed vision problem.
Did working with OneSight give you a new perspective on the importance of eye health?
So many people take vision for granted. I have seen first hand, in particular children who have not even known that they cannot see properly. Especially in smaller children where parents and even teachers assume there is a learning difficulty, it often is as simple as not being able to see the blackboard. So many times this problem is not identified due to lack of access to appropriate vision care and that is where OneSight steps in.
What has been the most memorable part of your involvement in OneSight?
The obvious answer is “helping people see”, however, I find the best part of being involved with an organization like OneSight is working together with like-minded people who are all there for the same purpose, no egos, no judgments, we all just get in and do whatever it takes. Complete strangers one minute, family the next.
Team of 20 Australian volunteers in Vanuatu, 2018.
What is one tip you wish you could give Australians about taking care of their eyes?
In Australia in particular, we should all be protecting our eyes from the sun with sunglasses. It was most obvious during our clinics in indigenous communities where they are working out in the sun all day without sunglasses. We found so many cases of people with sun-damaged eyes and pterygium.
What message do you hope to spread for eye health month?
OneSight’s mission is simple. Ensure everyone who needs a pair of glasses has a way of getting them.
What advice do you have for those who would like to get involved in health organisations or charities, but don’t know where to start?
I find the best way to get involved is to talk to someone who already is. OneSight has Facebook and Instagram accounts you can follow or you could simply go directly to their website here. To find Trudi on Instagram, search @defndagirl.
Go-to brand for sunglasses and optical frames?
Ray-Ban, obviously!
Image taken from OneSight's trip to Vanuatu in 2018.
If you would like to make a donation to OneSight, please click here.