Debunking Feminine Eye Health Myths

55% of people with vision loss are women and girls.

In communities across India – especially in rural communities – vision impairment disproportionately affects women and girls. Why? Many barriers prevent women and girls from accessing eye health services. For instance:

• Widespread myths about eye health and lack of health information;
• Lack of affordable, local services; and
• Prioritization of men for care over women and girls.

However, with your support, we can empower more women to make decisions regarding their own health. Together, we can address gender inequality in vision loss and bring affordable, accessible eye health care to families who need it most.

We believe that everyone has the right to healthy vision, regardless of their gender, age or ability to pay.

Through this campaign, our goal is to empower 5,000 women and girls in rural India by providing eye health education. We also expect to provide eye health treatment for 500 people for their eye health issues.

Through education and awareness, we can address key barriers to gender equity, including:

• Cultural barriers, such as the belief that seniors should not seek eye care;
• Stigmas around wearing eyeglasses; and
• Common myths surrounding eye care, including beliefs that eye conditions may somehow be a person’s own fault.

When women are empowered to make decisions regarding their own health, they are able to improve the overall health of their families, which benefits entire communities.

Impact eye health, and more

Vision loss in women can exacerbate existing inequalities in education and employment opportunities and can even result in community exclusion. Because of this ripple effect, the elimination of avoidable vision loss has a crucial role to play in the reduction of gender inequalities and our effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

By working directly with local hospital partners and community members, we can better understand the barriers women face, take affirmative action in training and human resource development to ensure there are more women in the health care system, and remove the barriers to accessing services.

Here’s how you can help

Together, we can create a more just and equitable country. Will you join us? Make a donation today and transform the life of a woman or girl tomorrow. Thank you for your support!