Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Find Special Olympics Near Me
We are helping to make the world a better, healthier and more joyful place—one athlete, one volunteer, one family member at a time.
Your Program
Based on your location, your local program is %location%.
Your location could not be automatically determined. Choose a program below:
Your Special Olympics Local Program:
Looking for a different local program? Choose a program from the list below:
Athletes

How Opening Eyes Program Helped a Romanian Swimmer

Health focus Essilor helps Open Eyes for young athletes.jpg

Thanks to the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes programme supported by Essilor, 13-year-old Cristi Ardeleanu from Romania is experiencing huge improvements to his eyesight, and his quality of life!

Cristi, a Special Olympics Romania swimmer, has had problems with his eyesight all of his life. Although his mother regularly had his eyes checked, no specialist ever prescribed quite the right glasses for him. This made life difficult for Cristi – due to poor eyesight he couldn’t take part in many of the activities that other children his age enjoyed.

However, things changed for Cristi at Special Olympics Romania’s 2017 National Games where he was examined by a specialist with the Opening Eyes programme. This expert was the first person to accurately diagnose him and make the right glasses prescription. Thanks to the professional volunteers and Essilor Romania, Cristi now wears glasses that are right for his eyes and he enjoys the quality of life that he deserves.