About Operation Eyesight

Operation Eyesight an international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight. Founded in 1963 in Calgary, Canada, we have been recognized as a key player working towards the elimination of avoidable blindness. With support from generous donors, we collaborate with our hospital and government partners in low- and middle-income countries to invest in sustainable eye health treatment, blindness prevention and community development to create a better life for people now and into the future.

We have staff, country offices and boards of directors across four continents. We have programs in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Zambia; and we are looking to expand to other countries in the future.

For over a decade, we have developed and implemented our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program model to create access to quality eye health services at the community level and reach people in remote communities.

Our work contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3: Good Health and Well-Being, as well as the goals related to poverty, gender equality, water and sanitation, and partnerships. Click here to learn more.

Our Work

In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, unaddressed avoidable blindness can have serious long-term consequences that impact individuals, families and communities.

Our comprehensive programs seek to improve access to quality eye care while also addressing some of the root causes of avoidable blindness, such as gender inequities, inadequate eye care services, long distances to eye health centres and lack of access to clean water, among others.

Our programs are designed to provide quality eye health care to all, regardless of age, gender or ability to pay. Through our community eye health model, we train local community health workers to conduct door-to-door surveys, screen patients and refer them for treatment, and educate the community on eye health and other health topics including maternal and newborn health, immunization and nutrition. As a result, we’re able to provide care to people who would otherwise go unreached, and these communities become healthier and stronger.

We work with our network of over 55 partner hospitals to strengthen their capacity to meet the needs of the surrounding communities. Capacity-strengthening may include providing the hospital with new or upgraded equipment, providing training for ophthalmic personnel, and/or establishing a vision centre or eye unit at the community level which is linked to the hospital, allowing our partners to bring their services closer to the community and facilitate referrals for specialized care.

By working with our local hospital and government partners to integrate eye care into the existing primary health care system, we help ensure the sustainability and quality of care offered through our programs. In our model of Hospital-Based Community Eye Health, revenue generated by clients who can afford services offsets the cost of eye care provided to those who can’t and allows hospitals to achieve self-sufficiency. All our patients receive the same quality treatment and care. We believe that avoidable blindness will be eliminated when everyone has access to quality eye care. To learn about programs in each country where we work, click here. To support our sight-saving work, please donate.

Our Values