Community Involvement
Alcon supports the communities in which it operates in a number of ways – supplying emergency products and services where needed, supporting employee volunteerism and charitable contributions to local programs and functions.
Light the Night for Sight
On June 24, 2006, more than 2,000 walkers and volunteers set out on the 9th annual Light the Night for Sight Walkathon from Alcon's Fort Worth campus to raise the most funds of any Prevent Blindness Walkathon in the U.S. – due to Alcon's sponsorship.
Marathon Winners in Sight
More than 200 South Africans regained their eyesight, as a result of Alcon's support of the "Fight-4-Sight" campaign – a 24-hour marathon during which 10 ophthalmologists worked in shifts to perform free cataract operations for those who could not afford the surgery. By donating intraocular lenses, ophthalmic knives, consumables and other equipment, Alcon helped to make an impact in an area where cataracts are the leading cause of blindness.
Seeing Is Believing
A blind individual now regularly enjoys riding a mountain bike along backwoods trails because of the efforts of employees at the Alcon Irvine Technology Center and blind visionary, Dan Kish of World Access for the Blind . The first ever SoundFlash, an echolocation device that utilizes ultrasonic sonar technologies to aid in non-visual spatial perception and control of movement, allows the blind user to "see." The device is currently in use in various countries around the world.
Sight: a Precious Gift at Any Age
Recently, Alcon Belarus employee Alex Artsyukhovich learned of a woman in Belarus with bilateral cataracts. While vision loss due to cataracts in this impoverished eastern European nation is nothing uncommon, the fact that the woman was 117 years old was extraordinary. Alcon was ready to help, arranging for an ophthalmic examination and for cataract surgery by a leading Belarusian eye surgeon who implanted an AcrySof® lens.
Welcome Home
In 2004 and 2006, Alcon employees in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area turned out to show their support for U.S. military personnel as they returned from both Afghanistan and Iraq. Before each homecoming, over 150 individuals volunteered to assemble 2,100 goodie bags to be distributed as gifts. It was a gesture that really hit home with these soldiers as they once again set foot on American soil.