Programming Areas

Bringing Vision Within Reach for Everyone

We believe that clear vision and healthy eyes are a right for all, regardless of where people live, their gender, age or ability to pay. That’s why our teams are on the ground partnering with communities, ministries of health and education, and like-minded organizations to build sustainable eye health care systems that provide eye health care now and in the future.
We do this through our five programming areas:

Community Eye Health

We train local community health workers who conduct door-to-door eye health screenings, refer patients to a vision centre or hospital for treatment, and provide health education.

Hospital Strengthening

We invest in hospital equipment and infrastructure, provide training for healthcare professionals and establish vision centres at the community level. The vision centres provide eye exams and eyeglasses and refer patients to the base hospital for surgery or other treatment.

Integrated Eye Health

Eye health is linked with a range of other development areas. We’re working to strengthen areas of overlap between primary eye care and primary health care in our countries of operation. In doing so, we’re able to address the root causes of avoidable vision loss.

Disease Control

We are addressing the major causes of avoidable vision loss: uncorrected refractive error, cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and other conditions. From eye screenings and prevention to treatment and follow-up care, our partners provide comprehensive eye health services.

Research and Advocacy

Driven by a wealth of community-based data, we are contributing to a global body of health research and informing national eye health policies.