VisionSpring
VisionSpring provides vision screening and eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty to increase their lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being.
Through partnerships with NGOs and government agencies, VisionSpring trains community health workers (CHWs) to diagnose vision error, sell reading glasses and refer patients for higher-level eye care as needed. Customers can purchase affordable, high-quality glasses directly from the CHWs, who earn a modest commission on each sale.
Since 2018, we have funded VisionSpring's "Reading Glasses For Improved Livelihoods" programme in Bangladesh. Through this programme, 14 million people have had their vision screened and over 3 million eyeglasses have been sold to date.
visionspring.org | Partner since 2018
Challenge
Around the world, 1 billion people who need eyeglasses aren’t able to access them. This reduces their ability to see clearly and therefore to work, care for their families, drive safely and enjoy the best quality of life.
Response
Since 2006, VisionSpring has worked with Community Health Workers, mostly women, training them to carry out basic vision tests and to sell low-cost reading glasses to people living in some of the most rural areas of Bangladesh. This intervention improves people's quality of life and enables workers, artisans and craftspeople to extend their productive years and income.
Vision screening is offered free of charge, but the Community Health Workers earn a commission on each pair of glasses sold, which contributes to their livelihoods and incentivises them to visit more households.
VisionSpring aims to screen the vision of an additional 4.8M people and correct presbyopia in 1.6 million customers using high-quality, affordable reading glasses by 2027.
The programme has now been replicated in Uganda, Zambia and Malawi.
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