Spreading the "joy of seeing" across borders to the world! Launching the 8th year of "International Ophthalmology Support Activities" with 10 business partners

What is a social partner?

This retail business partner works in conjunction with Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to donate a portion of its sales to social contribution activities, such as medical support in Japan and around the world. For the 8th term, a portion of the sales of "V ROHTO PREMIUM," "V Rohto Active Premium," "V Rohto Dry Eye Premium," and "V Rohto Contact Premium" from November 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 will be donated.

From left to right: "V ROHTO PREMIUM" (Category 2 pharmaceutical): for tired and red eyes; "V Rohto Contact Premium" (Category 3 pharmaceutical): for discomfort while wearing contact lenses; "V Rohto Active Premium" (Category 2 pharmaceutical): for tired eyes, blurred vision due to excessive eye discharge, etc.; "V Rohto Dry Eye Premium" (Category 3 pharmaceutical): for dry eyes.

Total amount of donations to date

From the first to the seventh phase, we received support from 36 of our business partners, and the total amount donated is 14,612,880 yen.

Background of the activities

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and it is estimated that tens of millions of people are currently blind. Cataracts are a disease in which the lens of the eye, which acts as the eye's lens, becomes cloudy, leading to decreased vision. In Japan, surgical treatment has advanced, and the rate of blindness due to cataracts has become very low. However, globally, in developing countries, many people still lose their sight due to cataracts not only because of poverty, but also because of environmental problems such as a shortage of doctors, hospitals and equipment, and because surgical techniques are not advanced enough to allow for treatment.
Our company has previously provided support in various Asian countries, including free eye examinations and treatments, the free provision of intraocular lenses for cataract treatment, and the training of local ophthalmologists, but these efforts have been limited. With the desire to expand these activities and reach out to more people on the brink of blindness, we have received support from as many as 10 of our business partners this term, who have agreed to join us in supporting these activities as "social partners."

Donation recipient

We plan to support organizations and medical institutions in Asia, Africa, and other regions that provide treatment for cataracts that can cause blindness, offer technical guidance on cataract surgery, and donate ophthalmic medical equipment and intraocular lens medications.

Results of the 7th Phase of Support Activities

OUI Inc. (OUI Corporation)

OUI Inc. is a venture company spun off from Keio University School of Medicine, founded by a practicing ophthalmologist. Their mission is to reduce blindness worldwide by 50% and protect people's health through eye care. Based on the concept of spreading the "eyes" of ophthalmologists to the world, they have developed a smartphone-attachable ophthalmic diagnostic device called Smart Eye Camera (SEC). Using the portable and easy-to-use SEC, they are dedicated to delivering ophthalmic care to patients around the world, including those in developing countries, who have previously had difficulty accessing ophthalmic medical care itself.
In the seventh phase, new developments were made in school health checkups and telediagnosis in Bhutan, East Timor, and Nepal, as well as continued ophthalmic examination activities in villages in Nampula Province, Mozambique. In addition, opportunities were actively created to present at international conferences to raise global awareness of the device, such as presenting on initiatives utilizing SEC at the ophthalmology conference in Querétaro, Mexico.

Activities of OUI Inc. (OUI Corporation)

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  Scenes from school health checkups in Nepal

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  Presentation at an academic conference in Mexico

NPO Asia Blindness Prevention Association

The NPO Asia Blindness Prevention Association was founded by a group of volunteers who sympathized with Dr. Tadashi Hattori, a graduate of the Department of Ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. With the desire to prevent even one person from losing their sight in the Indochina Peninsula and other poor countries in Asia, mainly Vietnam, the organization provides free ophthalmic treatment and technical training in those areas.
In fiscal year 2023, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, we were able to carry out full-scale support projects, and provided free surgeries to approximately 1,000 patients. In addition, regarding support for ophthalmic medical equipment, we updated equipment at Ha Nam Province and Hue Eye Hospital to create an environment where vitrectomy surgeries can be performed safely.

Activities of the NPO Asia Association for the Prevention of Blindness

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  Scenes from ophthalmic medical technology training in Vietnam

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  Scenes from ophthalmic medical support in Vietnam