This is a remarkable philanthropic initiative of Ekam Foundation and Sweekriti Sociocare Foundation, established to provide high-quality eye care to people who have traditionally faced barriers to accessing treatment. Inaugurated on 21 May 2026, the event brought together partners, donors, healthcare professionals and community leaders who shared a common vision: eliminating avoidable blindness through sustainable, people-centred eye care. 

A Shared Vision Beyond Infrastructure 

Operation Eyesight was honoured to be recognized during the inauguration for its contribution as a technical knowledge partner in shaping the hospital’s long-term vision. 

Our role extends beyond supporting the establishment of a healthcare facility. By sharing our decades of experience in community eye health, along with technical guidance from our long-standing partner, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, we are helping lay the foundation for a sustainable eye health ecosystem that reaches people where they live. 

The Chaitanyam Eye Care Institute has been designed to perform approximately 4,000 free cataract surgeries every year, serving communities across Kolhapur and neighbouring districts. Equipped with modern infrastructure and advanced ophthalmic equipment made possible through generous philanthropic support, the hospital is well positioned to deliver high-quality clinical care for years to come. 

Building an Eye Health Ecosystem 

A modern hospital alone cannot eliminate avoidable blindness. Many people living in rural communities continue to face challenges related to awareness, affordability and accessibility. Unless these barriers are addressed, countless individuals will remain untreated despite the availability of excellent clinical services. 

This is where Operation Eyesight’s proven, decades-long Community Eye Health Model becomes critical. Rather than waiting for patients to seek care, the model takes eye care into the community—proactively identifying people with vision problems, creating awareness, and connecting them to timely diagnosis and treatment. By seamlessly integrating community outreach, primary eye care through Vision Centres, and specialized hospital services, it ensures a continuous continuum of care that is accessible, equitable, and sustainable. 

The model is built around three interconnected pillars: 

• Community eye care: Trained community health workers engage directly with villages through door-to-door visits, awareness programmes and vision screening activities, ensuring early detection and timely referral. 

• Quality Clinical Care: Patients identified through community outreach are connected to Vision Centres and, when required, referred to the base hospital for advanced diagnosis and treatment. Continuous knowledge sharing and capacity building help maintain high clinical standards. 

• Sustainable Community Ownership: Lasting impact requires strong community participation and institutional support. Community-based action groups help build local ownership, promote awareness, and encourage timely care-seeking behaviour. At the same time, collaboration with government health programmes and public health departments strengthens referrals, resource convergence, and service delivery, ensuring that quality eye care remains accessible and sustainable for the communities the hospital serves. 

Looking Ahead 

The inauguration of Chaitanyam Eye Care Institute is not the culmination of a project, it is the beginning of a long-term partnership to strengthen community eye health across rural Maharashtra. 

Together with Ekam Foundation, Sweekriti Sociocare Foundation, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute and local stakeholders, Operation Eyesight looks forward to supporting the implementation of the  Community Eye Health models, creating a sustainable system that reaches underserved communities, prevents avoidable blindness and restores vision for thousands of people every year. 

Because lasting impact is achieved not simply by building hospitals, but by building systems that ensure every individual has the opportunity to see a brighter future. 

The post Chaitanyam Eye Care Institute Opens in Rural Maharashtra  appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

In the remote hills of Arunachal Pradesh, losing sight has often meant losing much more than vision. 
 
For many older adults, blurred vision gradually becomes darkness. Reading prayers becomes impossible. Walking independently becomes difficult. Farming, weaving, cooking, and caring for grandchildren become daily struggles. Families quietly adapt, believing blindness is simply a part of growing old. 
 
But blindness caused by cataract is not inevitable. It is treatable. 
 
The challenge is ensuring that every person who needs care is identified, reaches treatment in time, and receives the support to regain their sight. 
 
That challenge has now been met in Miao Block of Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh, officially declared Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free (CBBF) in June 2026. For Operation Eyesight, this achievement proves that when communities, governments and technical partners work together, eliminating avoidable blindness becomes an achievable reality. 

The Real Challenge Was Never Just Cataract 

Cataract remains one of the leading causes of avoidable blindness worldwide. While surgery is highly effective, thousands continue to live with unnecessary blindness because services fail to reach them in time. 
 
Distance, lack of awareness, fear of surgery, weak referral systems, financial hardship and difficult terrain often prevent people from receiving timely care. The real challenge is ensuring that no one who needs surgery is left behind. 

A Different Way of Thinking About Eye Care 

Operation Eyesight’s Integrated People-Centred Eye Care (IPEC) model strengthens primary healthcare rather than creating parallel systems. It integrates community awareness, household screening, referral pathways, diagnosis, surgery, follow-up and long-term surveillance into one connected continuum of care. 

A Four-Year Journey Built on Partnership 

Beginning in 2021, Operation Eyesight partnered with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen existing government eye care services. Infrastructure, referral systems, frontline worker capacity and community awareness were all strengthened to make quality eye care accessible closer to home. 

Finding Every Person Who Needed Care 

Teams travelled village by village and house by house. Behind every statistic was a conversation with a family, counselling for an elderly patient, or support for someone who believed blindness was an unavoidable part of ageing. 

Achievements included:  
• 76 villages covered 
• 5,600+ households visited 
• Nearly 26,000 people enumerated 
• More than 26,700 people screened 
• 283 cataract patients identified. 

The Final Mile Was the Most Important 

Declaring a block Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free requires far more than performing surgeries. Every identified patient must be treated, medically certified if surgery is not possible, or documented after informed refusal. Households are revisited, outcomes verified and records validated before declaration. 

Strengthening Systems That Will Last 

Operation Eyesight supported health system strengthening through capacity building, referral systems, operating theatre support, community mobilisation, household validation and documentation. The goal was to leave behind stronger government systems capable of sustaining quality eye care. 

Why This Milestone Matters Beyond Miao 

For families, it means restored independence and renewed hope. For the Government, it demonstrates the power of integrating eye care into public health systems. For Operation Eyesight, it validates the IPEC approach and provides lessons that will strengthen programmes across India and beyond. 

A Milestone That Inspires the Journey Ahead 

While Miao’s declaration marks a historic milestone, it is by no means the end of the journey. Instead, it serves as a powerful demonstration of what is possible when governments, communities, and technical partners work together with a shared vision. 

Encouraged by the success in Miao, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and Operation Eyesight are continuing to strengthen Integrated People-Centred Eye Care across other districts of the state. By building the capacity of primary healthcare facilities, strengthening referral pathways, supporting Vision Points, training frontline health workers, and empowering communities through awareness and early detection, the programme is laying the foundation for more blocks to achieve Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free status in the coming years. 

A similar transformation is also underway in Madhya Pradesh, where Operation Eyesight is working closely with the state health system to integrate eye care into primary healthcare through its Integrated People-Centred Eye Care (IPEC) model. Across multiple districts, the programme is strengthening primary health facilities, expanding community-based screening, improving referral systems, building the capacity of healthcare providers, and ensuring that people receive timely diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. 

Rather than focusing solely on increasing the number of surgeries, these programmes are creating resilient eye health systems capable of continuously identifying, treating, and preventing avoidable blindness within communities. This shift from episodic interventions to sustainable systems strengthening is central to Operation Eyesight’s long-term vision. 

Miao has shown that eliminating avoidable blindness is not the result of a single intervention; it is the outcome of sustained partnerships, empowered communities, and resilient public health systems. As this approach continues to expand across Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and beyond, Operation Eyesight remains committed to working alongside governments and communities to ensure that quality eye care reaches everyone, everywhere. 

Because restoring sight changes one life. 

Building stronger health systems changes the future of entire generations.

The post Miao Block Declared Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Eye health data is the foundation for eliminating preventable blindness and vision loss. Precise, local eye health data helps estimate the burden of blindness and visual impairment, identify barriers to community participation, understand the causes of service backlogs and guide programme decisions tailored to the needs of each intervention area.

To help bridge this critical data gap in one of our key intervention geographies, Operation Eyesight has formally launched the Rapid Assessment of Visual Impairment (RAVI) Study in Pushprajgarh Block, Anuppur District, Madhya Pradesh.

Here is how this milestone initiative is helping set a new standard for evidence-based eye health interventions.

The RAVI methodology: Precision at scale

To uphold scientific rigour, the study is led by two of India’s most respected institutions. The L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) serves as the principal investigator, while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal acts as the co-investigator.

The RAVI study is a comprehensive, community-based epidemiological survey that will provide critical insights into effective cataract surgery coverage, effective refractive error coverage, service delivery trends across institutions and the quality of care in the region. It will also examine community behaviours and identify the barriers that limit access to eye health care services. As an internationally accepted benchmark, the RAVI methodology is designed to ensure accuracy and regional representation.

To ensure reliable survey data, three survey teams, each made up of one optometrist and two community health volunteers, have been trained in the RAVI methodology and data collection processes. These teams will cover 80 randomly selected clusters across Pushprajgarh Block and examine approximately 3,700 to 4,000 participants aged 40 and older for various causes of visual impairment and blindness.

The significance: Charting unmapped territory

The significance of the RAVI study lies in what it will make possible. For the first time, this specific geography will have scientifically validated eye health data to guide planning, investment and action.

The field survey is currently underway and is expected to take approximately two months, with a final comprehensive report anticipated by September 2026. The initiative also reflects strong local governance, with ownership and commitment from the district administration, including the district collector and the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh.

Voices from the frontline

Driving this ambitious project on the ground requires strategic vision, technical discipline and consistent local execution.

“The journey toward eliminating blindness and visual impairment is ongoing, but to gauge the impact we create within a geography, it is critical to compare the situation before and after an intervention. RAVI is more than data collection; it will guide our actions in this particular geography during the programme period and will also be critical for planning studies in adjoining similar geographies. By mapping the exact prevalence and determinants of blindness and visual impairment in Pushprajgarh, we can move from generalised care to highly targeted action. This evidence ensures our resources are deployed exactly where they will save the most sight.” — Aditya Sharma, Programme Manager

Objectives and expected outcomes

The data collected through the RAVI study is designed for both immediate action and long-term assessment.

Core objectives:

• Assess the prevalence, root causes and determinants of blindness and visual impairment in the region.
• Serve as the definitive baseline assessment for the ongoing eye health programme.
• Provide evidence to optimise intervention design, direct resource allocation and improve service delivery strategies.
• Support the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the National Health Mission in strengthening comprehensive eye health planning by extrapolating this study across the state.

Expected outcomes:

• Measured impact: Upon project completion, an endline survey using the same methodology will assess the programme’s true outcomes and impact.
• Global contribution: Given the scientific rigour of the study, the findings may be published in respected public health or ophthalmology journals, contributing to global health knowledge.

By validating public health strategies through scientific data, the RAVI study will help guide progress toward eliminating avoidable blindness and visual impairment. It will also help other organisations working in similar geographies use limited resources more effectively by documenting what works, what does not and where targeted action can have the greatest impact.

Stay tuned for our next post on progress updates and learnings from the field. Learn how you can support our work here.

The post Understanding eye health through data: The RAVI Survey in Pushprajgarh appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

In 2010, Heeralal became a para medical ophthalmic assistant (PMOA) after the Government of Madhya Pradesh called for MPWs to undergo PMOA training. He conducted regular eye exams at CHC Niwas but was disheartened by having only two or three patients a day. He took part in school screenings and cataract camps as awareness grew.

In 2022, Heeralal saw a turning point when we launched our Integrated People-Centred Eye Care project in Singrauli. CHCs were upgraded to vision centres, equipped with slit lamps and essential ophthalmic tools. PMOAs received refresher training for comprehensive eye examinations to build eye care capacity. A series of targeted interventions rolled out.

We trained community health officers, accredited social health activists (ASHAs) and community health volunteers (CHVs). Screening camps were organized with a mobile vision van to boost awareness. With support from ASHAs and CHVs, Heeralal soon saw 12 to 15 patients daily.

Today, Heeralal feels more inspired than ever by the transformation in rural healthcare. His motivation grows with every person whose sight is restored.

Did you know? Integrating eye care into universal health care is one of the five recommendations of the World Health Organization 2019 World Report on Vision.

Learn how you can help support integrated eye health efforts here.

The post From health worker to eye care champion appeared first on Operation Eyesight.