Eye health

How one project touched 34 million lives

As the 17-year-long Seeing is Believing project comes to an end, Imran Khan goes behind the scenes to reveal why it has made such an impact.

A man with glasses, smiling while sat in his truck.

Focusing on eye health as we build back from COVID will bring profit, not loss

Sightsavers' Sumrana Yasmin explains the cost-effectiveness of eye health interventions and the huge impact good sight has on the global economy.

Sumrana Yasmin, October 2020
A screenshot of a video call between Peter Holland, Jalikatu Mustapha, the Queen and the Countess of Wessex.

Sightsavers Eye Health Hero meets the Queen

Sightsavers ophthalmologist Dr Jalikatu Mustapha, who recently won an IAPB Eye Health Hero Award, received a video call from Her Majesty the Queen to mark World Sight Day.

October 2020
A boy having his eyes checked. The ophthalmologist and the boy are both wearing face coverings and there is a protective screen between them.

Programme staff: “How we adapted our eye health projects during COVID-19”

Sightsavers staff provide a first-hand insight into our work with ministries of health, partner hospitals and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many people sit outside waiting for an eye examination.

Nine steps to holding pop-up eye screening camps on the doorsteps of marginalised communities

In February 2020, Sightsavers' Kirsty Bridger visited Bangladesh to learn how we organise our eye screening camps.

A close-up of a plastic vial containing the flies that transmit river blindness.

Three Sightsavers nominees win IAPB awards

The accolades, from the the International Association and Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), recognise and celebrate young and upcoming staff and volunteers within the eye health sector.

October 2020
Two Two women and a man stand outside a small home in an informal urban settlement.

Hasina feared she wouldn’t see people coming to demolish her home again

Hasina lives in a camp in northern Bangladesh which has been demolished twice. Since developing cataracts, her fears of being homeless again were heightened.

Nine-year-old Sumaiya smiling after her cataract operation at a hospital in Bangladesh_Ramadan appeal

WHO passes resolution urging countries to prioritise eye health

The World Health Organization passed a Resolution on The World Report on Vision in an effort to reach the 1 billion people worldwide who do not have access to vital eye care services.

August 2020
A man with a physical disability sits outside.

A lightning strike changed Yousuf’s life forever

Yousuf has come up against decades-long hardships, but with with a sight-saving cataract operation, life is finally looking better. Here, he shares his remarkable story.

A woman standing in a roomful of other people. She is covering one eye with her hand.

How can Malawi overcome the final hurdle to eliminate trachoma?

We have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that no one is left behind, but if we can eliminate one NTD, we can then focus on eliminating the others.

Effie Kaminyoghe, July 2020
A man stands for a portrait while holding a colourful dose pole.

How a simple tool could be used in response to COVID-19

This innovative tool, used in neglected tropical disease programmes, could be important in the response to COVID-19 in Africa.

July 2020
Fahad smiles while wearing sunglasses as he sits beside a colourful bush.

Play games and raise money for Sightsavers

A new free online games platform is celebrating its launch by supporting Sightsavers for a month.

July 2020
A man examines the eyesight of a young boy who uses a wheelchair.

Great progress, but not for all: cataract surgical rate in Pakistan

Cataract surgical rate only measures quantity of services, and quality remains neglected. This raises questions that need addressing.

Itfaq Khaliq Khan, June 2020
Shamima communicates with her sister. Her sister uses hand movements to get her point across. Both women are sitting down outside and wear bold, pink clothing.

Sightsavers research highlights inequalities behind access to eye care

Governments and healthcare organisations must look at income and gender as well as disability if they are to effectively support people with visual impairments.

June 2020
Community health volunteers stand outside in Nachuru, Turkana, Kenya.

Sightsavers film chosen to represent UK at global health film festival

A short film about trachoma trackers in Kenya beat more than 1,200 submissions to reach the top 15 for its category in a prestigious, international contest.

May 2020
A pair of glasses, a pen and a computer on a desk.

Four tips to keep your eyes healthy at home

At Sightsavers we’ve compiled some useful and simple tips to help you to protect your eyesight at home and help make this period as comfortable as possible.

April 2020
Aziza smiles at the eye screening camp.

Aziza’s story

Aziza, from Nampula province in Mozambique, had been struggling with her eyesight for some time. But thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery, she had surgery and gained a new lease of life. 

Meet the miking team, spreading the word about free eye health care

In Bangladesh, we know the best way to make sure no one is left behind is to take health information directly to their doorstep. Enter the miking team!

A man smiling while sat on a motorbike.

Celebrating our health workers on World Health Day

As we thank all our health workers on World Health Day, meet six who have worked with Sightsavers to help improve eye care for people in their communities.

An eye health worker stood infront of a Keep Sight banner holds an eye examining instrument to her eye.

Sightsavers celebrates 'Keep Sight' this World Glaucoma Week

This World Glaucoma Week Sightsavers is celebrating the launch of an ambitious partnership which tackles one of the world’s leading causes of blindness.

March 2020
Actress Sunetra Sarker speaks to a truck driver.

Sunetra Sarker joins Sightsavers in India to see truck drivers have their eyes screened

Award-winning actress Sunetra Sarker visited long-distance truckers in India to understand how poor eyesight can affect their lives and work.

February 2020
Clive Jones stands next to a sign.

Improving eye health and saving lives in India

Sightsavers’ chair, Sir Clive Jones, visited India to see how a Sightsavers programme is saving lives on the roads by screening truck drivers for vision problems.

Sightsavers, February 2020
A school student has her eyes tested while wearing optical glasses: an eye health worker's hand is changing the lenses in the glasses.

Guidelines for school-based eye health programmes

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide direction to those planning and implementing vision screening programmes as a part of eye health initiatives within the education sector.

A girl has her eyes tested.

Stories from the SHIP eye health project in Pakistan

Sightsavers’ eye health screening project in Pakistan is helping children see and learn all over the country. We listen to stories of some of the children we have helped.

A woman has her eyes checked by an eye health worker in an outdoor screening camp in India.

Sightsavers named most cost-effective health charity

Charity evaluator ImpactMatters awarded Sightsavers a five-star rating for cost-effectiveness – the highest score available.

November 2019
A woman wearing a black hijab smiles and walks along a brick-lined street.

A journey, not a destination: eye health integration in Pakistan

Following simple steps can help decision-makers and donors to improve the system further, helping millions of people in need of eye care services in rural areas.

Itfaq Khaliq Khan, November 2019
A mural on a school wall showing five superhero characters.

How soap and superheroes are changing lives

Geordie Woods explains how the Super School of Five trachoma prevention programme is protecting school children from this devastating disease.

Three women posing together with smiles.

How Sightsavers celebrated World Sight Day

To mark World Sight Day 2019 on 10 October, Sightsavers country offices celebrated by highlighting the need to provide good-quality eye care to everyone.

October 2019
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Sightsavers and partners help to halve blindness cases in remote Indian Sundarbans

Before the Sightsavers eye health programme in the Sundarbans started, one in every 40 people over the age of 50 in the region was blind. Today, that number has dropped to one in 80.

October 2019
Two women and five small children stand outside their home.

“That lady who was going blind? Look at her now!”

In northern Kenya, Sightsavers’ Sarah Filbey visits an eye camp that treats both trachoma and cataracts, ensuring everyone gets the life-changing help they need.

October 2019