Going the Last Mile: Community Eye Health for Everyone, Everywhere 

Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Operation Eyesight Universal has committed to screening one million people for vision loss and bringing the total number of Avoidable Blindness-Free villages to 2,900 by Dec. 31, 2030. The organization made this commitment during the Global Summit for Eye Health 2026. 

The commitment will reach people in under-served rural, remote and low-resource communities across Africa and South Asia, regardless of age, gender, location or ability to pay. Everyone found to need care will be referred to treatment services. 

A village is declared Avoidable Blindness-Free only when everyone has been surveyed, all cases of avoidable vision loss have been addressed and a local, sustainable eye health care system is in place to serve the community for years to come. 

"Screening shows how many people we reach. Avoidable Blindness-Free villages show that the care lasts. Together, these commitments are how we go the last mile, so that no one is left behind because of where they live, their age, their gender or their ability to pay," said Ivan Zenar, Interim President and CEO of Operation Eyesight Universal. 

By the end of 2025, Operation Eyesight had declared 2,021 villages Avoidable Blindness-Free and completed 204 community eye health projects. An estimated eight to 10 million people now have access to local eye health care systems. Globally, 1.1 billion people live with vision loss, and 90 per cent of it is avoidable. 

Operation Eyesight will report progress towards this Global Eye Health Summit commitment every year, broken down by age, gender and location. 

About Operation Eyesight Universal: Operation Eyesight Universal is an international development organization working to eliminate avoidable vision loss. Founded in Calgary in 1963, it works with partners in Africa and South Asia to prevent blindness and restore sight. - For All The World To See!