Realization of Well-being

As a Leading Eye Care Company

ROHTO Pharmaceutical has engaged in various researches together with universities and medical institutions for more than 100 years, focusing on the eyes with the desire to make people healthy. As a leading OTC eye care company, we are committed to reexamining eye health issues faced by people around the world, and will strive to contribute to the “Joy of seeing” beyond national borders.

Eye Care Support in Developing Countries

Appropriate eye care for indigenous peoples in remote areas. The “Joy of Seeing” has no borders

To help indigenous Brazilian communities where people could not easily receive eye care treatments, we continue to support the “Amazonian Cataract Project,” which has been ongoing for more than 20 years. Several medical camps are held each year to improve quality of life in remote areas.
Ophthalmos ROHTO is contributing to healthcare beyond regional and ethnic barriers by participating through volunteer staff and providing instruments and products for cataract surgeries free of charge.

Giving the “Strength to See” to more people through provision of free intraocular lenses

PT. ROHTO Laboratories Indonesia, established in 1996, is the first company in the ASEAN region to manufacture and sell intraocular lenses (IOLs), for cataract surgeries. The company overcame challenges such as the difficulty in getting local ophthalmologists to understand the quality of its intraocular lenses, and now sells its products in 15 countries, including Indonesia. We believe that IOLs, which can reduce the number of people with loss of vision caused by cataracts, are an important business that also leads to social contribution. We are actively developing support for “vision,” including conducting charity cataract surgeries (offering free IOLs) in collaboration with ophthalmologists.

Creating the custom of taking care of eyes with our customers

Vietnam was the first country in which we developed an overseas market from scratch, and we established a local office in 1996. While there is no culture or custom of using eye drops as health care medicine, we continue to conduct educational activities to promote the importance of eye care and free eye examinations for schools and the general public. We also support the free cataract surgeries provided at eye hospitals that are committed to sustainable business models.

Joy of Seeing Project : Social Eye Health Initiative by ROHTO Mentholatum group

The well-being of people at the heart of Joy of Seeing

"Joy of Seeing" is a global social project initiated by the ROHTO-Mentholatum group, promoting eye health for everyone around the world.
The project comprises a series of activities in several countries and regions aimed at raising awareness and supporting local eye healthcare initiatives. ROHTO released first its eye drop in 1909 to treat epidemic eye diseases, a major social issue at that time.
Since then, we have been providing eye care products and services, along with a consistent social contribution activity for many years.
The "Joy of Seeing" project is an initiative launched by our group, united across borders, to further contribute to people's eye health by collaborating with stakeholders in various regions.

Main theme

Theme 1: Children's Eye Health and Myopia

In this project, we have set "Children's Eye Health and Myopia" as the first major action theme, as Myopia is a serious health problem that is spreading worldwide, with a particular increase in Japan and Asia.
Our goal is to support children and their guardians in protecting their eyes and allowing them to experience the joy of seeing.

• Period : 2022 to 2025 (tentative)*
• Main activities: Awareness activities, workshops, free eye check-ups etc.
• Main areas: Asia, Africa

Global outcome of the project

References

Booklet in English

*Distributed in some Asian countries above.

Together with our Business Partners

As part of our activities to support the “Joy of Seeing” for people around the world, we have been donating to eye care support activities in Asian and African countries in cooperation with our business partners since 2016. This is an initiative in which the Company and our retail business partners work together as “social partners” in social contribution activities that transcend business boundaries. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world, and tens of millions of people are thought to be blind today. In Japan, the rate of blindness due to cataracts has become very low due to advances in surgical treatment. Globally, however, many people are losing their sight due to cataracts, not only because of poverty, but also because they are not properly screened and diagnosed due to lack of medical personnel and equipment, or unable to receive treatment due to poor surgical techniques. In fiscal 2022, the seventh term, we matched a portion of the sales of eye drops made by 11 social partners during the period and donated 992,380 yen to an organization engaged in international eye care support activities. As a member of the healthcare industry, we take a sense of mission and pride in our support activities, and will continue to implement them.

Recipients of Support

OUI Inc.

OUI is a startup that aspires to reduce the number of people going blind by 50% worldwide and help people with their overall health starting with their eyes. Advocating the concept of making available the expert eyes of ophthalmologists to the world, the company has developed the “Smart Eye Camera” (SEC), an ophthalmic diagnostic device used by attaching to smartphones. Using the simple portable SEC device, a pilot demonstration test has been underway since 2022 in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Mozambique in collaboration with the medical institutions and ophthalmologists of the respective countries.

Asia Prevention of Blindness Association (NPO)

This organization works to prevent as many people of low-income as possible from losing their sight in Vietnam and other countries of the Indochina Peninsula and the rest of Asia. To that end, it offers free ophthalmic treatment, teaches techniques in ophthalmology, and provides medical goods such as ophthalmic devices and materials. In 2022, the organization dedicated its energy to Vietnam where the zero-COVID policy was enforced, offering IOLs for free and teaching medical techniques in Vinh Phuc and Dak Lak Provinces. Furthermore, in the cities of Hanoi, Hue, and Haiphong, it helped the underprivileged who could not afford eye treatment to consult with an ophthalmologist, performed eye examinations, and engaged in other awareness-raising activities.