About Us

About Us

Operation Eyesight Universal is an international development organization working to eliminate avoidable vision loss (blindness/vision loss that can either be cured or prevented) in partnership with local hospitals and governments, and through support from our generous donors around the world.

Our Mission

To prevent blindness and
restore sight.

Our Vision

The elimination of avoidable vision loss

Our Tagline

For All The World To See

Our Mission

To prevent blindness and restore sight


Our Vision

The elimination of avoidable vision loss


Our Tagline

For All The World To See

Founded in 1963 in Calgary, Canada, we have been recognized as a key player working towards the elimination of avoidable blindness/vision loss. With support from generous donors, we collaborate with local hospital and government partners 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, quality education, gender equality, water and sanitation, and partnerships. Click here to learn more.

Our Work

Unaddressed avoidable blindness/vision loss 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 70 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

EQUITY

We commit to equity and equality, inclusion and dignity for all.

INNOVATION

We will make a valuable and measurable impact on the countries where we work. We will test and monitor outcomes for continuous improvement and continue to generate new and innovative approaches.

CITIZENSHIP

We commit to providing everyone with optimal eye health care including the best of care for citizens experiencing extreme poverty.

COMPASSION

We will seek to understand the perspectives of others and our goal is to alleviate their distress.

EXCELLENCE

We will persistently create better ways of doing the things that we do. We will not rest on our accomplishments but will build on them to be the best we can be.