The Eye Love Project

OHSU Casey Eye Institute came to Sockeye looking for a way to make people reconsider their eye health and vision in a positive way. 2020 was the perfect metaphor for vision, and Casey Eye Institute was ready to lead the conversation in Oregon. We quickly realized that the general public doesn’t pay attention to eye health — at least until it becomes a problem. Research shows people perceive going blind as one of “the worst things” that can happen to them. Knowing fear and apathy are barriers to proactive eye care, avoiding alarmist messaging was necessary. Instead, we set out to challenge peoples’ awareness of everything their eyes do for them. And we didn’t stop there.

To transcend being more than just a PSA you need community, participation, a shared experience. Instead of an overt hospital initiative (that could garner fear in some) we created a project – The Eye Love Project; meant to be inclusive and welcoming to everyone. By building a traveling, multimedia spectacle we welcomed the community to join us in celebrating sight – bridging Oregonians with Casey Eye Institute’s mission to end preventable blindness in an engaging way that was hard to ignore.

Using two gigantic, inflatable traveling eyeballs, we devised a true sight to behold. With the first eye serving as a recording space, we asked Oregonians to reflect on how their eyes make their lives better, and what vision means to them. The second eye functions as a playback booth with previously recorded stories and an educational component. The stories captured in the activations are shared on digital media and saved as an archive for the public.

The Eye Love Project web design and social media activation examples

The Eye Love Project continues to tour in 2020 — gathering stories of how we see the world, together. We invite you to follow along, join the movement and share what vision means to you at theeyeloveproject.com.