Calgary, Canada June 25, 2023 – Operation Eyesight is pleased to celebrate 60 years of partnering with communities worldwide to give the life-changing Gift of Sight through quality, accessible and affordable eye health care. Together with its global community of donors and partners, over the past six decades the organization has grown to become a global leader in eye health.
“2023 is a milestone year for Operation Eyesight. Through the generosity and compassion of our donors, partners and staff, we are transforming more lives than ever before,” says Operation Eyesight President & CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath. “As one of the oldest and most well-established organizations in the global eye health sector, we are continuing to grow and evolve as we set our sights on a future free of avoidable blindness.”
Operation Eyesight was started by Calgary businessman Art Jenkyns in 1963. From humble beginnings fundraising to support cataract surgeries in India, the organization has grown into an international development organization that is making quality and affordable eye health care available to those who need it most. Today, it has established programs in eight countries across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. With work underway to expand into three more countries, Operation Eyesight is staying true to its mission to prevent blindness and restore sight.
“Our approach has evolved, but our mission remains the same. Whether it is a simple pair of eyeglasses or more advanced care such as eye surgery, we believe everyone has the right to sight,” Bhoosnurmath adds. “Our innovative model and focus on communities and leveraging their unique strengths continues to make us a global leader in eye health.”
In 2022, the organization screened nearly 2.76 million people globally for eye health conditions and provided sight-restoring eye surgery to more than 160,000 people.
Partnership with local governments and hospitals, and investment by these agencies into project costs, helps ensure the organization’s projects are sustainable and that impact is felt long after Operation Eyesight leaves a community.
Operation Eyesight’s model is both replicable and sustainable because it is focused on addressing the root causes of vision loss. Today, its teams’ work is about so much more than providing eyeglasses and surgeries – it is also about improving access to healthcare, bringing clean water to communities, and supporting education and rights for women and girls.
“Our work is made possible through support from our global community of staff, local physicians and community health workers, like-minded partners, local government departments, generous donors and communities themselves,” Bhoosnurmath says. “On behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight, I would like to thank our global community for their commitment to our shared vision of the elimination of avoidable blindness. Happy 60th anniversary to us all.”
Operation Eyesight is a Canada-based international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In June 2023, Operation Eyesight will celebrate 60 years of collaborating with local hospitals and government partners to invest in sustainable eye health treatment, blindness prevention and community development.
To learn more, visit operationeyesight.com/60years.
