No matter the size of the stone, the impact spreads in widening circles.  

The same is true in international development and eye health care. 

How the ripple effect shaped our work in 2025 

Every gift of sight creates ripples that transform lives. For girls and boys, women and men, restored sight opens doors to education, employment and independence. Those benefits don’t stop there – they carry on, extending through families, communities and even the global economy: Vision loss costs an estimated US $411 billion in lost productivity each year, according to a 2021 article in The Lancelet Global Health Journal. 

In 2025, your support meant everything. It was a year when the “pool of water” was anything but still. Yet our global community came together. Your collective generosity created nothing short of seismic waves of impact across 10 countries. 

Every year, your support empowers our teams and partners to screen millions of people, provide hundreds of thousands of those with vision loss with prescription eyeglasses and perform hundreds of thousands of cataract surgeries (2025 data and details will be shared in our 2025 annual report). 

Thank you for standing in solidarity with us, with communities, and with our teams and partners around the world – For All the World to See! 

2025 Highlights 

Here are some of our 2025 milestones and accomplishments that were achieved thanks to your support.  

Global  

Impact recognition 

For the eighth consecutive year, Operation Eyesight was named a Top 10 Impact Charity by Charity Intelligence Canada. 

Growing global reach

We doubled traffic to our global website, raising awareness about the importance of eye health and how it impacts lives, communities and countries.

Cataract surgery success

With your support, we raised $410,000 CAD for our nine-country cataract surgery initiative, surpassing our $405,000 goal. This will fund an additional 5,400 cataract surgeries, some of which are already underway. For each country, this means the following additional cataract surgeries:

• 400 in each of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi and Nepal
• 1,000 in Ghana
• 900 in India
• 800 in Kenya
• 700 in Zambia

Why it matters: Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. One surgery, including supports such as travel, costs approximately $75 CAD. Cataract surgery is one of the most cost-effective health interventions, according to the IAPB Vision Atlas.

Saidur’s story shows how cataract surgery changes lives. At 70, Saidur, from Bangladesh, was nearly blind and unable to work. After cataract surgery, he said, “I am very happy to be able to see my grandchildren. I can finally earn a living again.”  Watch his ripple effect story.

Africa

Ethiopia

A World Sight Day school eye health initiative led to the screening of 1,200 students in Bahir Dar City. Students in need also received free prescription eyeglasses.

Amanuel, Bereket and Amen pose after getting their eyes screened at school leading up to World Sight Day.

Ghana

We expanded our School Eye Health Program to Shai Osu Doku district. Program Coordinator Isaac Baffoe has been working closely with schools to reach even more children. See how the program works and how it helps students access quality education.

Kenya

With new funding from Johnson & Johnson, we launched our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Model in four underserved counties. Tens of thousands of people have already participated in door-to-door screenings, and more than 2,000 cataract surgeries will be performed. See how this project brings eye health care closer to home in rural areas.

Malawi

We opened our first vision centre in Malawi, greatly reducing travel for patients and improving access to care.

Our Malawi team and partners attend the opening of the new vision centre, which will serve more than 256,000 people.

Zambia

We rehabilitated 72 boreholes, exceeding our target of 69 and improving access to clean water for more than 50,000 people.

Community members gather water at a borehole in Zambia.

North America

Canada

• In April, we partnered with the Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission and the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to deliver a weeklong vision care clinic. More than 400 students received eye exams, and many received prescription eyeglasses.

Caption: A child has his eyes screened during a weeklong vision care clinic conducted in partnership with Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission and the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation.

In June, we participated in the Rotary International Convention in Calgary. Since the early 1980s, 474 Rotary clubs have contributed $3.88 million, not including direct grants to our partners. Since 2020, 23 clubs have made more than 3,100 gifts, totaling $748,565.

Members of our team connected with hundreds of Rotary club members and attendees at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary in June. 

On World Sight Day, October 9, Kris Kelm, our Global Director, International Programs and Chair of the Canadian Eye Health Coalition, hosted a global webinar, and landmarks across Canada lit up in our brand colours to raise awareness.

The Calgary Tower (see below) lit up in orange and blue, our brand colours, for World Sight Day to raise awareness of the importance of eye health care. The CN Tower, Guelph Market Square and Winnipeg Esplanade Riel Bridge also displayed our colours.

This fall, we celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at events in Calgary and Toronto, and another in London, United Kingdom, strengthening connections with Indian diaspora communities and expanding support for our work in South Asia and around the world.

Members of our Canada team attend a Diwali event in Calgary.

In the week leading up to Giving Tuesday, December 2, through the collective support of donors, we surpassed our original target of $35,000 and raised $63,166.61 thanks to the dollar-for-dollar matching funds ($45,000) from our anonymous donors!  This resulted in a total of $108,266.61raisied to support additional cataract surgeries.

South Asia

Bangladesh

Leading up to World Sight Day, our partners screened 1,719 people, including 1,627 schoolchildren at 11 schools. A total of 183 people received free prescription eyeglasses.

A student has her eyes examined during a school eye heath screening in Bangladesh.

India

We renewed our partnership with the National Health Mission, Government of Madhya Pradesh, to strengthen eye health services across 10 districts. This marked a significant step in strengthening people-centred eye health systems across the state.

Anchored in the World Health Organization’s Integrated People-Centred Eye Care (IPEC) framework, the initiative delivers sustainable, community-focused eye care fully integrated into the public health system. Currently, we’re implementing IPEC interventions across 17 districts in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya, in partnership with the state Ministries of Health. This work restores more than sight – it restores dignity, independence and livelihoods for entire communities.

Nepal

Our President and CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath attended the IAPB LIVE In Sight conference in Kathmandu, bringing together global leaders and policy-makers to advance universal eye health.

Thank you for your support. Full 2025 details and data will be shared in our 2025 Annual Report.

Make a ripple effect of your own.

Donate today to make a ripple in 2026.

The post 2025 Highlights: The Ripple Effect  appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Ayetu’s journey with glaucoma began a decade ago when he first noticed problems with his vision. A visit to the hospital confirmed his fears: he was diagnosed with glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness if untreated. The cost of the necessary eye drops was a heavy burden on his finances, often preventing him from attending his monthly check-ups. In desperation, he turned to herbal remedies, but his vision continued to deteriorate.

“From the year 2020 until 2022, I stopped visiting the hospital because of severe financial hardship that I faced,” Ayetu recalls. “My vision kept deteriorating until I became totally blind in my left eye, leaving me with a little vision in my right eye, which I depend on now.”

In 2022, a ray of hope appeared. Thanks to support from our generous donors, we introduced a program to provide free glaucoma medication for patients like Ayetu.

Ayetu shares his journey, reflecting on the moments that shaped his experience: “I was overwhelmed with gratitude when I started receiving these medications every month. The pain and tearing in my eyes have ceased, and the pressure in my eyes has stabilized. I probably would have lost the remaining vision in my right eye if not for the free glaucoma medication given to me every month.”

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, which is essential for vision. This damage is often due to increased pressure inside the eye, known as intraocular pressure. It is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, but with early detection and proper treatment, its progression can be slowed or even halted. Regular eye exams are crucial for early detection and management of glaucoma. If detected early, treatments such as medications, laser therapy or surgery can help slow or prevent further vision loss. Unfortunately, many people like Ayetu struggle to afford the necessary treatment.

Learn more about glaucoma.

As we observe World Glaucoma Week (March 9-15, 2025), we invite you to join us in making a difference. You can help more people like Ayetu by giving the Gift of Sight today. Please consider making a donation in honour of World Glaucoma Week.

Thank you to all our donors for your continued support. Your generosity changes lives and brings hope to those in need — For All The World To See!

With files from Dora Ewusi, Project Coordinator – Awutu Senya, Ghana

The post World Glaucoma Week: Celebrating Stories of Resilience and Hope appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Before getting cataract surgery, Richmond had a hard time seeing clearly and missed a lot of school because of fatigue caused by eye strain. His parents said he was listless and spent a lot of time inside the house.  Fortunately for young Richmond, help was on the way.

His school was one of dozens in the area included in a school eye health program that we are implementing in partnership with Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service. A visiting optometrist quickly diagnosed Richmond with a cataract, and he was referred for surgery at St. Barnabas Family Clinic in Greater Accra, where he was treated free of charge, thanks to the generosity of donors like you.

Dora Ruth Assan is the School Health Education Programs Coordinator for Richmond’s district. She says she hears a lot of stories about children who are transformed by eye care. “A lot of them, because they were having challenges with their sight, they were not happy to be at school. When there’s outdoor games, they don’t participate,” says Assan. “But now, because they were screened, and they realized they are having challenges, they were educated on what to do.”  She adds that school enrolment has improved overall since they introduced school eye health screenings.

As for young Richmond, he is just happy to be attending school regularly and playing with his friends once again. His parents say they are grateful for the help he received.

Please donate today to help provide eye health care services for more children like Richmond. Thank you for your support!

The post Cataract surgery helps Richmond thrive at home and at school appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

When Anastasia first began experiencing vision problems, she went to a nearby hospital, where she was diagnosed with pterygium — a growth on the eye’s conjunctiva. But, the pterygium was still immature, and she was advised to wait. By the time it had matured enough to be removed, her husband had grown older, fallen ill and was no longer able to work, leaving them without the means to pay for the surgery. “As a sole breadwinner and a mother of two teenagers who is also taking care of my husband, my meagre income could hardly take care of our daily needs, so undergoing a surgery was an impossible dream,” Anastasia shared. 

Hope returned when Anastasia heard about an eye screening camp organized by Operation Eyesight. She attended, expecting little more than medication, but instead, she was diagnosed with a mature pterygium that could be removed through surgery at Operation Eyesight’s partner hospital Watborg Eye Services — free of charge, thanks to the generosity of donors. Anastasia underwent successful surgery, and she was also diagnosed with a refractive error and received prescription glasses at no cost. 

With her vision fully restored and her business back on track, Anastasia could finally see a brighter future for her family.  

“Though I feel that a mere thank you is not enough to express my appreciation, there is no other way to express to my joy except with a thank you. I am immensely grateful to Operation Eyesight for coming through for me.” – Anastasia  

Your support can help restore vision and hope for someone like Anastasia. By giving the Gift of Sight, you not only honour your loved ones, but also extend the spirit of compassion and generosity to someone across the world. 

Written with files from Dora Ewusi.

The post With sight restored, Anastasia reclaims her independence appeared first on Operation Eyesight.