Optical Prism September 2020 | Page 18

EYE FOCUS | ON THE COVER ECO- FRIENDLY SPECS By David Goldberg The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on our health care system and economy. It’s also impacted our mission to protect the environment and cut down on plastic pollution. According to a government study, Canadians produced nearly three-million tonnes of plastic waste in 2016. Now, think about the millions of masks, gloves and hand sanitizer bottles being pitched into landfills this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. As humanity faces this health crisis, it is turning a blind eye to another equally pressing matter, the destruction of our oceans. Optimistically, many players in the eyecare industry are owning the call to action and taking bold steps to reduce plastic waste today and in the future. 18 EYE FOCUS | September Digital 2020