Child Eye Health: A Call-to-Action Returns for Its Second Year

The 2nd Global Child Eye Health Symposium brings together the world's leading voices on children's vision - and this time, the stakes are higher.

For the second consecutive year, a coalition of global organisations committed to transforming child eye health has convened one of the most focused and forward-looking symposia in the sector. The 2nd Global Child Eye Health Symposium - held virtually on the Leonardo platform, builds on the momentum of its inaugural edition and signals a growing global consensus: child eye health can no longer remain on the periphery of national health, education, and development agendas.

A Partnership Rooted in Shared Purpose

The symposium was first convened in 2025 as a pioneering collaboration between India Vision Institute (IVI), OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, Berkeley Vision, UNICEF and CooperVision - five organisations united by the belief that every child deserves the right to see clearly. That first edition laid the groundwork: establishing a shared platform, surfacing critical evidence gaps and catalysing cross-sector dialogue on a challenge that affects hundreds of millions of children worldwide.

This year, the partnership has grown. The 2nd Global Child Eye Health Symposium is convened by Berkeley Vision, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), India Vision Institute, Leonardo, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and UNICEF, a coalition that spans clinical research, global advocacy, professional development, technology and child rights. Together, they represent the breadth of expertise and institutional reach needed to move the needle on child eye health at scale.

What's on the Agenda

The 2nd Symposium is structured around six high-impact sessions, each addressing a distinct dimension of the child eye health challenge:

A Welcome Keynote - Why Vision Health is the Key to Children's Futures, opens the symposium, framing child eye health within the broader context of every child's right to health, education, equity and inclusion.

Four panel discussions follow, covering the most pressing issues in the field: Myopia: From Evidence to Public Health Action; Innovating for Impact: Tech & Children's Vision; Policy & Advocacy: Driving Change for Children and Collaboration for Impact: Public Sector Models.

A second Keynote - Why Collaboration Drives Child Eye Health, anchors the programme, making the case that meaningful progress in child eye health depends on coordinated action across governments, health systems, schools and global partners.

An Exceptional Speaker Lineup

The symposium brings together an exceptional roster of global leaders. Keynote addresses are delivered by Ratna Jhaveri, Global Lead of the Child Rights Unit at UNICEF and Prof. Kovin Naidoo, Global Head of Advocacy & Partnerships at OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, with opening remarks by Peter Holland, Chief Executive of IAPB. The symposium is opened by Alessandra Senici, Head of OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation.

Panel discussions feature leading experts including Dr. Monica Jong and Prof. Serge Resnikoff on myopia; Prof. Xiangui (Hedy) He, Dr. Norbert Gorny and Dr. Ramesh Kekunnaya (LVPEI) on technology and innovation; Dr. Shelly Chadha (WHO), Junu Shrestha (IAPB) and Fernando Botelho (UNICEF) on policy and advocacy; and Dr. Monicah Bitok, Nad Ramsarup, K.V. Mahesh and Vinod Daniel on public sector collaboration models.

Why This Matters

The numbers tell a compelling story. Globally, uncorrected refractive error is among the leading cause of vision impairment in children.

Young children with early onset irreversible severe vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development, with lifelong consequences. School-age children with vision impairment can also experience lower levels of educational achievement.

Refractive errors, particularly myopia, are a leading and increasing cause of visual impairment and blindness in children.

The solution is affordable, proven and within reach. The Lancet Commission reported spectacles to be one of the most effective health interventions for children, reducing the chance of failing a class by 44%. Children with corrected vision learn twice as much and go on to earn significantly more over their lifetimes.

What is needed is the political will, the systemic investment and the cross-sector collaboration to deliver it at scale.

The 2nd Global Child Eye Health Symposium is precisely that - a call to action, not merely a conversation.

Access the Symposium

The symposium is fully recorded and available for public viewing at your convenience - offering valuable insights for clinicians, policymakers, educators, researchers and advocates.

We gratefully acknowledge Leonardo for hosting the conference and supporting its delivery.

View the symposium here: https://leonardo.essilorluxottica.com/login

Be a part of the conversation driving meaningful change.