It’s heartbreaking to think there are millions of people around the world suffering from blindness or poor vision that could be easily treated.
Even worse is that in many of the places where Orbis works, traditional beliefs and cultural norms create gender-related barriers that can make it nearly impossible for women and girls to get treatment.
Vision centres: Empowering women and lifting communities
Each year on March 8, people around the world celebrate International Women’s Day – an opportunity to reflect on progress towards gender equality and what we can do to create a more fair and equitable world. At Orbis, we know that blindness is a gender issue and are committed to alleviating unequal access to eye care.
An Innovative, Sustainable Solution for Powerful Change
Together with our partners, we’ve pioneered a proven solution that’s helping to break down gender barriers and ensure more women and girls receive the sight-saving care that could change their lives.
Vision centres are an innovative, sustainable and cost-effective way to address the chronic lack of eye care services in isolated areas. Operating as locally run social enterprises, vision centres provide high-quality, low-cost comprehensive eye care services for families right in their communities.
Managed by a small team of local eye health workers, often women, vision centres are set up in busy locations, like a market or near a place of worship. Staff provide essential eye care services at the vision centre and help educate families about the critical importance of good eye health through community outreach programs.
Vision Centres Bring Essential Eye Care Close to Home
Your Support Made This Possible
Together with our partners, we’ve established over 150 vision centres across India, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, providing equitable access to eye care for millions of people, especially women and girls.
But we’re just getting started. Your support in 2023 will help us expand our network of vision centres in communities where they’re needed most.
Help create more vision centres
Together, we can change the course of so many lives and build healthier communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Creating Stronger, Healthier Communities
To celebrate International Women's Day, we're sharing just a few of the many stories of the women and girls whose lives have been impacted through an Orbis-supported vision centre. Together with our incredible partners and supporters, we're helping to create a legacy of community-based eye care, ensuring millions of women and girls have the opportunity for a better, healthier life free from the destructive grip of poor vision.
