New design collaboration puts Indigenous eye health in the frame
Bupa Optical has teamed up with Aboriginal Yorta Yorta artist, Chloe Jones, to launch a new and limited-edition glasses range that will help raise awareness and funds for eye health issues affecting First Nations people.
To celebrate the launch of The Chloe Jones Collection featuring her artwork Back to Biami, which artistically draws on the knowledge of traditional healing practices of the Yorta Yorta people; $5 from each sale of prescription glasses, sunglasses or packets of contact lenses until the end of November will be donated by the Bupa Foundation to the Brien Holden Foundation[1]. These donations will contribute to programs improving access to optometry services for Indigenous school-aged children. This funding is made possible through a new Bupa Foundation partnership with the Brien Holden Foundation.
Chloe Jones said she was proud to be representing her people through a collaboration that has health and connection with Country at its heart.
“This artwork serves as a reminder that true healing goes beyond merely addressing symptoms. It involves reconnecting with the land, understanding its energies, and allowing these traditional practices to guide us back to wellness.
“Every line, curve, and shape within the artwork has a purpose; each stroke represents those unseen forces that contribute to healing,” Chloe said.
Along with the unique opportunity to collaborate with an emerging First Nations artist, the fundraising campaign builds upon Bupa’s commitment to supporting efforts to close the gap in health equity via its Reconciliation Action Plan. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are three times more likely to have poor vision compared with other Australians[2].
Bupa Optical and Hearing Director Adrian Kemp, said the glasses are an embodiment of Bupa’s vision of an Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience equity and equality and are living longer, healthier, happier lives.
“We hope that these stylish frames will be popular amongst our customers to raise vital funds for community eye health programs while triggering meaningful conversations about the role we all have to play in reconciliation and improving health outcomes for First Nations Peoples in Australia.
We hope that these stylish frames will be popular amongst our customers while raising vital funds for community eye health programs, and triggering meaningful conversations about the role we all have to play in reconciliation and improving health outcomes for First Nations Peoples in Australia.
“It’s a privilege to be able to honour Chloe’s vision and the culture of the Yorta Yorta people through this collaboration, which is a first for us,” Adrian said.
The Brien Holden Foundation provides eye care services, education and training initiatives and conducts research in order to eliminate uncorrected vision impairment and avoidable blindness amongst First Nations communities and more broadly.
For more information on the Chloe Jones Collection at Bupa Optical visit here.
[1] Up to a maximum of $50,000 Australian dollars. In addition, from 6 November 2024 onwards the Bupa Foundation will also donate $25 from every sale of glasses or sunglasses in the Chloe Jones limited-edition range which are available in limited supply.
