Vision screening for nine million people

Vision screening is carried out in Nigeria

More than nine million people in Africa and Asia will benefit from vision screening under a partnership between social enterprise, VisionSpring, and charitable foundation Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

VisionSpring won an undisclosed share of a $75m (£56m) fund that aims to expand access to eye tests, spectacles and surgery for millions of people across the world.

The enterprise will screen more than six million adults and 120,000 children for vision impairment, and dispense near and distance vision spectacles to 3.1 million people in Bangladesh, Nigeria and India. It will operate through workplace screening, primary healthcare and community programmes. 

In Bangladesh, VisionSpring is launching schemes for commercial vehicle drivers and school vision screening.

In Nigeria, the enterprise is working with the health ministry to integrate vision screening and spectacles into primary healthcare services.

VisionSpring chief executive, Ella Gudwin, said: “Clear sight unlocks opportunity, dignity, and safety. Behind each of the 3.1 million pairs of eyeglasses is an individual whose life will change for the better, and with them, the lives of their families and communities.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, said: “As many as one billion people live with a condition that is an enormous obstacle to success in school and careers: poor vision. And in most cases, it can be easily fixed. Through our new Vision Initiative, we’re teaming up with experts to expand access to screenings, eyeglasses, and cataract surgeries – and empower millions more people to fulfill their potential.” 

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Vision Initiative is a $75m (£56m) global effort to expand access to eyecare, conducting vision screenings for 11.5 million people. It aims to distribute nearly seven million pairs of spectacles and restore the sight of 250,000 people through cataract surgery in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and the United States.

For more information, visit www.visionspring.org