Aichi Prefecture's Obu City, Sugi Pharmacy, Nagoya University, and Rohto Pharmaceutical have signed a "Cooperation Agreement on Promoting Eye Care in Obu City"
– In addition to efforts to prevent myopia in children, this agreement will contribute to raising awareness of eye health among adults in the "eye-frail generation."
September 13, 2024
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Masafumi Sugimoto) concluded a "Cooperation Agreement on Promoting Eye Care in Obu City" on September 13, 2024 (Friday) with Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, Sugi Pharmacy Co., Ltd., and the Department of Ophthalmology and Sensory Organ Disorder Control, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, a national university corporation under the Tokai National University Organization. In addition to the "Obu City Children's Myopia Prevention Project" that the four parties have been implementing since April 2022, the target will be expanded to include people aged 40 and over, including the "working generation" who overuse their eyes, and the eye care awareness activities for all Obu citizens will be expanded.
Background of the initiative
It is said that people take in 80% of information through their eyes, but after the age of 40, eye function declines just like physical strength. Many eye diseases have the characteristic that symptoms are not easily noticeable until they have progressed, so it is important to detect them early and treat and manage them appropriately.
Based on a memorandum of understanding signed by four parties in April 2022, our company has been promoting the "Obu City Children's Myopia Prevention Project" through industry-academia-government-citizen collaboration. However, in order to maintain eye health, it is necessary to raise awareness of eye health not only among children but also among adults. Taking this opportunity of signing a cooperation agreement, we have established "EYE HEALTH for OBU - Let's Nurture Healthy Eyes for Everyone -" as an initiative to protect the eye health of all Obu citizens, and have launched the "Obu City Adult Eye Frailty Awareness Project" in addition to the "Obu City Children's Myopia Prevention Project" that we have been implementing. Our company will work in cooperation with Obu City, Sugi Pharmacy Co., Ltd., and the Department of Ophthalmology and Sensory Organ Disorder Control, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, to further expand the scope of our collaboration. We will broaden the target audience to include not only children but also working adults and those over 40 who overuse their eyes, and will promote eye frailty awareness activities and work to maintain the eye health of all Obu citizens.
- "Eye frailty" refers to "a condition in which the function of the eyes deteriorates due to aging, in addition to various external stresses, or a condition at high risk of developing eye frailty (excerpted from the Japan Ophthalmology Awareness Conference website)."
Initiatives related to this agreement for fiscal year 2024
Obu City Adult Frailty Awareness Project
- Lectures by ophthalmologists and eye frailty check events will be held.
- An eye care awareness event will be held at Sugi Pharmacy stores in Obu City (date TBD).
- Poster display at Obu City Hall
Obu City Children's Myopia Prevention Project
- Outreach lectures and distribution of myopia prevention calendars for all first-grade elementary school students in the city (approximately 1,000 students) were conducted in July.
- Summer vacation hands-on event "Let's Learn About Eyes Together as a Family" held (completed on July 30th)
- A lecture and workshop on "Myopia Prevention in Children" will be held by an ophthalmologist (scheduled for around November).
- Study sessions and workshops for childcare workers (timing TBD)
- Distribution of eye care awareness booklets to daycare centers in the city (scheduled for around October)
Since our founding, we have consistently focused on health and engaged in healthcare businesses that contribute to people and communities. Beyond products and services, we support communities and future generations with the social responsibility of protecting people's health and realizing a prosperous and healthy society. Moving forward, we will continue to promote our activities together with internal and external partners, striving to be a force that energizes people, society, and the world of tomorrow.