“Our eyes are like the light of the human body,” she says. “Without your eyes, you can’t do anything. You can’t go anywhere. So, the eye is very important to talk about and take care of.”

Joana wanted to bring better eye health care to people in her district by studying ophthalmic nursing, but pursuing further studies felt out of reach because of the costs of leaving her job to attend classes full time. Still, Joana didn’t give up. After discussing her aspirations with the District Director of Health Services in Awutu Senya, our partner on a community eye health project, the director reached out to us for support. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Joana’s dream became reality; we provided the financial assistance she needed to advance her education.

Today, Joana is fully certified as an ophthalmic nurse, after completing a degree program at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. She works at the Senya Beraku Polyclinic in her home district. She says that with her advanced training, she’s better able to diagnose, refer, and explain conditions and procedures to her patients. Most importantly, she is better equipped to combat eye health myths and misconceptions that prevent many patients from getting treatment.

Joana is just one of many healthcare providers and doctors whom we’ve supported in pursuing further studies since we were founded in 1963. One of the pillars of our work is to help build health systems by investing in hospital equipment and infrastructure, by establishing vision centres and by providing training opportunities for healthcare professionals. It’s all part of our sustainable approach to health care, which emphasizes building expertise at the local level.

Building facilities in the heart of the community

The town of Chitipa is located at the northern tip of Malawi, hours away from the larger cities in the country’s more populous south. Until recently, people in the area had to travel between 100 to 350 kilometres to get any kind of eye health care because the local hospital was over capacity.

In March 2025, all that changed when we partnered with the Malawi Ministry of Health to open the new Operation Eyesight Vision Centre at the Chitipa District Hospital. Today, the district’s 256,000 people can visit the clinic to get everything from a routine eye exam to cataract surgery.

For Lydia, who lives in a village just outside of Chitipa, the new vision centre arrived just in time. For years, she’d noticed tearing in her left eye. Eventually, it became uncontrollable. She tried reading glasses, eye drops, various medications… nothing worked. Finally, she went to the hospital in Chitipa for help. There, she was diagnosed with cataracts and referred for surgery in Mzuzu, more than six hours away. She put off the operation while she saved money for the travelling it would entail.

When the new Operation Eyesight Vision Centre opened, Lydia was thrilled to find out that she could get her surgery much closer to home. In August 2025, she underwent the operation on her left eye, free of charge. Today, she is enjoying a higher quality of life, with her left eye no longer tearing up – and improved vision overall.

The vision centre in Chitipa is just one of many facilities we’ve helped establish in recent years. In May 2025, we successfully handed over a new eye clinic at the Garbatulla Sub-County Hospital to the County of Isiolo in Kenya. The clinic was developed in partnership with the county government and the Kenya Ministry of Health, with funding from Johnson & Johnson. Also in 2025, we laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Secondary Eye Hospital in Yadgir, Karnataka, India, in collaboration with the Shri Guru Mahipatiraj Eye Bank and Research Foundation Trust.   

Supporting early screening and intervention

On the banks of the Ramganga River in Uttar Pradesh, India, sprawls the city of Moradabad, home to our partner hospital, the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute. In recent years, we’ve been working closely with the institute’s Vice-Chairman, Dr. Ashi Khurana, to help some of the area’s smallest residents – premature babies.

India has the highest rate of preterm births in the world, and the emergence of more Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) has greatly improved the survival rate of premature infants. But as more of these preemies grow up, an alarming trend is developing – some of these children end up going blind.

The culprit is Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a condition that causes problems with the development of the blood vessels in the baby’s eye. If untreated, it can cause permanent vision loss and even total blindness.

Dr. Khurana remembers first hearing about the problem when a local doctor approached her with concerns about the high number of local children who had gone blind due to ROP. The problem, they realized, was a lack of screening at the growing number of local NICUs.

In answer, Dr. Khurana and her team launched a pilot ROP program to screen Moradabad infants for the condition, which later expanded to include a partnership with Operation Eyesight. Dubbed the Retinopathy of Prematurity Eradication Project, the program runs a mobile eye clinic staffed by an optometrist who has training in ROP screening and laser treatment. The optometrist travels with specialized equipment to NICUs throughout the area, providing both screening and treatment, while referring more complex cases back to the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute.

With help from Rotary Club partners, we supplied the program with essential equipment, including an imaging system used to examine the baby’s retinas, and a specialized laser system that is the gold standard for treating ROP. We also helped the hospital with the purchase of a mobile screening van, and we participated in the creation of educational materials to make sure that both healthcare providers and families understood the risks of ROP.

In the second year of the project, the screening area expanded from one district to five, including 28 NICUs. Between July 2024 and March 2025, 685 preterm babies were screened for ROP, with 54 of them receiving laser surgery, and another 35 treated with intravitreal injections.  

Providing quality equipment – and the means to maintain it

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we often purchase and upgrade ophthalmic equipment to help our partners offer the highest quality care possible, just like we did with the ROP project. Throughout our decades of work, we’ve equipped everything from vision centres to highly specialized operating theatres. We’ve also provided various types of vehicles to transport patients from rugged, remote locations to hospital, and to serve as mobile screening units on wheels – like the one now being used to screen infants in the Moradabad area.

In addition to donating equipment, we are committed to ensuring sustainability by providing additional funding for equipment maintenance training. In 2024, Dumisani Jere from our partner facility, Mzuzu Central Hospital in Malawi, was sent to India’s Aravind Institute to do a one-month Ophthalmic Instruments Maintenance course. Since then, he has been providing support to eye clinics throughout our project areas in Malawi’s Northern Region.

Achieving sustainability through local investment

Hospital strengthening is at the heart of our mission to create lasting change. By investing in infrastructure, equipping facilities and training local professionals, we help build resilient health systems that can deliver quality eye care for generations to come. From vision centres in Malawi to advanced neonatal screening programs in India, these initiatives ensure that care is accessible, sustainable and rooted in local expertise. Thanks to the support of our donors, we’re not just treating patients – we’re strengthening health systems and empowering communities to protect sight for the future.

Donate today to help strengthen more hospitals and train more ophthalmic staff – For All The World To See.

The post Hospital strengthening – how building up health systems improves sustainability appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

This World Sight Day, our colours are lighting up skylines in communities across Canada, from Calgary to Winnipeg and from Guelph to Toronto. We’ll be sharing photos on our website and social media, so everyone can see them.  

If you live in Calgary, where we have been based for more than six decades, look up, way up, at the Calgary Tower after dark on October 9. To help raise awareness of the importance of eye health, the Calgary Tower will shine in Operation Eyesight’s blue and orange.

If you live in Toronto, you can see the CN Tower shining in blue and orange (and yellow, for another eye-related organization that is also marketing World Sight Day). Wherever you live in Canada, urban, rural or remote, you can view the CN Tower lighting through the Tower’s webcam here. Catch the light show at the top of every hour and at every half hour.

Guelph’s Market Square lit up in blue and orange overnight on October 8 to 9.

The Winnipeg Esplanade Riel Bridge and city sign will be lit up on October 11 for World Sight Day as well as World Blindness Awareness month (October).

Why we’re raising awareness of eye health in Canada on World Sight Day

As of 2019, in Canada, 1.2 million people experience vision loss, which is 3.2 per cent of the population, and another estimated eight million people – 19 per cent – have eye conditions that could lead to blindness.

Fortunately, 75 per cent of vision loss in Canada is avoidable

Avoidable vision loss can be prevented or treated when detected and addressed early. This is best done through regular eye exams; however, just 51 per cent of people in Canada are aware of how often to get an exam. Vision loss impacts people of all ages and touches all aspects of life including:

• education (students with uncorrected refractive error learn 50 per cent less than peers);
• employment (vision loss can lead to a 30 per cent reduction in employment); and
• Canada’s economy – in 2019 alone the estimated cost of vision loss was nearly 33 billion dollars according to The Cost of Vision Loss and Blindness in Canada report.

World Sight Day is in focus in Canada this year with the passing of the National Strategy for Eye Care Act  in November 2024.

Kris Kelm, our Global Director – International Programs and Chair of the Canadian Eye Health Coalition, says, “Canada has made eye health a national priority with the passage of the National Strategy for Eye Care Act. We’re hard at work with like-minded organizations and communities, including Indigenous communities, to help shape the framework for an eye health care system that will serve all Canadians, from Inuvik to Iqaluit, and from Victoria to St. John’s – and every urban, rural and remote community in between. We are proud to bring more than 60 years of experience – earned building eye health care systems with partners in Africa and South Asia – to the table, and we feel that there is a lot for our Canadian policy to learn from international experience.”

Our President & CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath says, “Together, we can build an eye health care system in Canada that improves quality of life for us all, personally and for our family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Together, we can eliminate avoidable vision loss in Canada to expand our collective opportunities – and be a shining inspiration for others.”

Eyesight on the international stage

On September 23, 2025, the UN Friends of Vision, collaborating with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) which facilitates World Sight Day worldwide, presented the very first The Value of Vision: The Investment Case for Eye Health to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The case will help inform international frameworks and lay a path for countries to build eye health care systems.

World Sight Day 2025: A list of Operation Eyesight activities in Canada

• Co-hosting a webinar for decision makers called The Future in Focus: Eye Health in Canada and Beyond. The webinar, a collaboration between Operation Eyesight, Seva Canada and Orbis Canada, will focus on the rising demand for eye health care nationally and globally, on Thursday, October 9.
• Helping kids love their eyes: We’re encouraging parents, guardians and teachers to download resources for educating children (and themselves) about eye health: operationeyesight.com/free-resources-for-parents

We will be sharing our activities on social media and our website. Learn more or donate in honour of World Sight Day at operationeyesight.com/worldsightday.

Happy World Sight Day! And thank you to our staff, donors and partners around the world for your steadfast dedication to our mission to prevent blindness and restore sight – For All The World To See!

The post World Sight Day in Canada appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Her world grew darker as cataracts began to cloud her vision and left her nearly blind. Everyday things like walking through crowded streets, cooking with the right spices and finding her way around her home became uncertain and difficult. 

Despite the challenges, her spirit stayed strong as she searched for the right eye health treatment, only to discover that the surgery she needed was far beyond what she could afford. 

One day she heard about a nearby outreach eye care camp by Operation Eyesight. Gulbahar made her way to the camp and embraced the chance for cataract surgery. 

She received cataract surgery at no cost. When the bandages were removed, she smiled. 

“I can see my world again,” she said. “I don’t need to stumble in the dark anymore. I’ve been given a second chance.” 

Today Gulbahar is back on her feet. She works and moves through her days with confidence and no longer depends on others. Her restored vision gave her more than sight. It gave her freedom. 

But stories like Gulbahar’s are far too common. 

You can help change that. Your contribution provides people with the knowledge and resources they need to regain their vision and independence. 

Did you know?   
Globally, 55 per cent of people experiencing vision loss are women and girls. There are a number of different factors for this, including longer lifespans (people over 50 experience 73 per cent of all vision loss), limited access to eye and health care, and cultural factors. (Source: IAPB Vision Atlas) 

By giving the Gift of Sight, you can help prevent blindness, restore sight and create second chances for more people like Gulbahar. Thank you for your support! 

The post Cataract surgery brings second chance for Gulbahar appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Located in the northern part of Bangladesh, many in the area experience poverty and lack access to basic necessities. Opened in 2021, the vision centre is a critical link that connects residents with eye health screening, prescription eyeglasses, specialist referral and other health services.  

A bird’s eye view of the town’s skyline reveals one more thing that sets this vision centre apart: it’s covered in solar panels. 

Powering a vision centre through a solar array is a forward-thinking solution in a country that stands at the forefront of climate change. Each year, Bangladesh faces rising sea levels and erratic weather patterns. Frequent floods, cyclones and droughts threaten not only the livelihoods of millions but also people’s health and well-being. 

“In many ways, Bangladesh symbolizes the urgent need for global climate action,” explains Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, President & CEO of Operation Eyesight. “Changes in the environment have an impact on eye conditions and also present new challenges to healthcare systems. We need to take note and adjust the way we deliver care.” 

Together with communities, we are setting a new standard in how healthcare systems can operate sustainably, improve lives and protect the planet.  

The climate-eye health connection 

Our eyes are incredibly delicate and sensitive organs, and emerging research confirms that eye health is susceptible to the environmental impacts of climate change. This is echoed by our healthcare staff and volunteers, working on the ground and in the community, who frequently witness firsthand the effects of climate change on public health. Extreme weather events such as wildfires, floods and dust storms disrupt access to essential eye care services and can cause direct eye injuries. Climate-related issues such as air pollution and drought can also increase the risk of various eye conditions.  
 
Air pollution, for instance, is associated with a rising incidence of conjunctivitis and allergic eye reactions. And worsening wildfire seasons mean that heavy smoke more frequently blows into towns and cities, leading to complaints of burning, gritty and irritated eyes. What’s worse is that experts say the long-term effects of smoke on our vision are unclear. Studies out of China and India show that persistent exposure to high levels of pollutants made up of fine particulate matter, called PM_2.5, is linked to an increased risk for age-related eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. While those studies focused on industrial pollutants, fine particular matter (PM_2.5) is also a component of wildfire smoke.   

In addition, the increase in ultraviolet (UV) radiation due to ozone depletion is linked to a higher risk of cataracts and other vision-threatening conditions. 

The World Health Organization has identified climate-driven diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, as potential contributors to visual impairment. Over the long term, droughts caused by climate change often result in food shortages, which are linked to vision loss. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, where trachoma is a leading cause of blindness, climate change could worsen both the prevalence and severity of this disease. Since trachoma disproportionately affects women and girls, the climate crisis has broader implications – not only for eye health but also for development issues like gender equality. 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint for a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future, recognizing that Climate Action (SDG 13) is inextricably linked with other goals, such as those prioritized by Operation Eyesight: education, access to fresh water, gender equality, and good health and well-being.  

“Climate change is both an environmental issue and a human health issue that is being felt across the eye health sector,” Kashinath says. “As the climate crisis intensifies, healthcare systems, especially those in low- and middle-income countries, must adapt to meet new challenges.” 

A green approach to eye health care 

Solar panels are just one example of how eye health services in the community can take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce carbon footprints and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

In Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya, our teams at Iten Eye Unit planted seedlings to help celebrate the first-ever National Tree Planting Day in November, 2023. Located in the arid western part of Kenya, where deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and water shortages have led to widespread desertification, it’s a step in the right direction.  

In India, which is another of our countries of work, similar steps have also been recommended.  

Empowering communities and building resilience 

Bringing access to clean, fresh water to communities in sub-Saharan Africa has been one of our key strategies to improve health and reduce the transmission of blinding trachoma. In addition to educating communities about the importance of washing their hands, faces and clothes to reduce the transmission of disease, ensuring communities have access to sustainable, local water sources brings many other benefits as well.  

For example, in Zambia’s arid Sinazongwe district, families who once faced food shortages due to drought are now able to grow backyard gardens, thanks to our work rehabilitating and drilling water boreholes. 

By bringing access to fresh water and educating communities about the importance of water conservation, sanitation and hygiene, we’re improving health outcomes and empowering communities to reverse the effects of desertification in communities across sub-Saharan Africa. 

“Sustainability goes hand-in-hand with empowering communities,” explains Kris Kelm, our Global Director of International Programs. “By educating communities on hygiene practices and supporting freshwater initiatives, we are enhancing the resilience of not just communities, but entire healthcare systems, in the face of climate change.” 

Leading by example: local solutions to global challenges 

Operation Eyesight is facing global challenges when it comes to climate change, but the solutions are driven by local communities. 

“The climate crisis is having a very real impact on public health, and eye health is no exception,” Kris says. “Today, our work is focused on safeguarding eye health while minimizing the impact of our operations globally, and there is more work to be done.” 

Public health and other development priorities will continue to be shaped by a range of issues, from food security to a shortage of healthcare personnel, to climate change issues.  

“In coming years, the global eye health community’s response to climate change requires a thoughtful and coordinated approach from international organizations, as well as government agencies and policy makers,” explains Kashinath.  

Kashinath says that more opportunities exist that will help address the eye health needs of underserved communities and drive environmental sustainability of operations, including: 

• Sustainable procurement practices for medical supplies, including buying local and opting for re-usable supplies rather than single use supplies; 
• Reducing travel through telemedicine and video conferencing; 
• Public health awareness and education that is focused on environmental sustainability as part of public health education;
• Policy intervention through advocacy with government leaders;
• Healthcare provider education and capacity building;
• Purchasing energy efficient equipment; and
• Safe disposal of bio-medical waste.

“This way, our work is not only improving access to quality eye health services but also contributing to a healthier planet,” adds Kashinath.  

Operation Eyesight’s partnership with communities to integrate environmental sustainability is more than a response to climate change; it’s a vision for the future of eye health.  

Read our five-year Global Strategy to find out how we plan to continue meeting the eye health needs of communities in the face of climate change. Donate today to help us bring sustainable eye health solutions to communities that need it most.  

The post Healthy communities, healthy planet  appeared first on Operation Eyesight.