PRESERVING CLEAR VISION
Another important aspect of our social effort includes funding research and education that
promote sight preservation. This is achieved through our Pearle Vision Foundation (United States)
and monetary grants from Luxottica (Italy).
Pearle Vision Foundation was begun in 1986 to fund research and education to help find cures for
preventable causes of blindness. The Foundation provides research grants to support four specific
focus areas: studies on diabetic retinopathy (the number one cause of adult blindness in the US),
new treatments for retinoblastoma (fast-growing cancer in the eye), ways to maintain healthy vision
and new, preventive methods for various eye diseases. The Foundation also supports vision
education through scholarships to students pursuing a doctor of optometry degree.
In 2007 in Italy, Luxottica continued to support Telethon by funding a research project conducted
by Professor Alberto Auricchio at the Istituto Telethon di Genetica e Medicina on gene therapy of
the eye’s photoreceptors, which are damaged by diseases like pigmentary retinitis and Leber’s
congenita amaurosis.
2007 ACHIEVEMENTS
During 2007, we awarded 14 research study grants totaling $330,000. One third of the money granted supported research projects to advance the study of diabetic eye disease to help researchers to move closer to enhancing the quality of life for millions of people living with diabetes. Other areas of support in 2007 focused on research into pediatric eye diseases and agerelated macular degeneration.
The Pearle Vision Foundation also received approval from the United States Internal Revenue Service to begin the Dr. Stanley Pearle Scholarship Program. Each year, $40,000 in scholarships will be awarded to students of optometry across the United States.
2008 GOALS
In 2008, we are focused on two main goals:
1. Further funding of research on diabetic and pediatric eye disease.
2. Launching of the Dr. Stanley Pearle Scholarship Program, supporting 20 optometry students
with a $ 2,000 scholarship each.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Our social responsibility programs tie together Luxottica employees across the globe. Employees
from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China and North America work together, through recycling
efforts and international mission teams, towards a common goal of providing clear vision to those
in need. During this process, associates get to know one another and learn as a global team.
Meeting people from different parts of the world and visiting different countries provide
experiences that training courses simply cannot achieve. People learn to recognize and respect
new languages, foods, customs and unusual cultural situations. Our missions, particularly the
international ones, require intense teamwork to optimize the use of resources and time and, as a
result, multi-cultural teams form relationships and learn that diversity may unite rather than divide.