Eye health programmes

Rural Eye Health Programme

Sightsavers launched the Netra Vasant – Rural Eye Health Programme, currently operational in 92 districts, to improve vision-related quality of life by strengthening rural eye health systems in India. With over 152 static vision centres across ten states, the programme focuses on reducing blindness, increasing Cataract Surgical Rates (CSR), and ensuring equitable, sustainable eye care for underserved communities. We aim to achieve universal coverage vis-a-vis eye health services by reducing blindness prevalence, providing equitable coverage, and financial and programmatic sustainability.

Urban Eye Health Programme

This programme improves urban eye care for low-income residents in 16 cities by integrating its vision centres with Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), establishing vision centres with partner collaboration, building community resources and strengthening the National Health Mission. It also deploys healthcare Mobile Vans offering teleconsultation, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy screening, portable perimetry, and spectacles. We aim to establish robust primary eye care systems in urban areas lacking essential support.

National School Eye Health Programme

Sightsavers India launched Vidyajyoti School Eye Health Programme with the goal that ‘good and maintained eye health’ is optimised in school children. This intervention aims to screen children in Government school to identify and prevent eye diseases and vision impairments among children.

The programme has 8 components – Health education, health services, nutritional services, counselling, healthy school environment, health promotion for staff, family/community involvement and research or impact assessment, which can be broadly categorised under the three major constituents of service delivery, eye health awareness and an enabling environment.

National Truckers Eye Health Programme

Sightsavers India realises the importance of eye health for the overworked truckers’ community in ensuring road safety. Since drivers can’t get to eye care services, Sightsavers in India have created a system which takes the services directly to them. RAAHI is one of the biggest eye health programmes in the country for the overworked truck drivers’ community.

The programme’s ingenious: there are across 49 locations across the golden quadrilateral and North South-East West (NSEW) network. which covers the main long distance haulage routes across the whole country. Some are permanent vision centres, others pop-up outreach camps, but all are in locations where drivers stop as part of their usual route to rest or unload cargo.