According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), restoring sight is one of the most cost effective health interventions to reduce poverty.

Founded in 1985, Vision Aid Overseas has been helping some of the world’s poorest people to see clearly for over 30 years. Whether you are a teacher in Ghana, a seamstress in Zambia or a school pupil in Ethiopia, poor eye sight can have a devastating impact on your life and livelihood.

Without affordable eye care services, people living with poor eyesight often leave their condition to go untreated which can make their eyesight worse and can, if left untreated for long enough, lead to permanent blindness.

Our Vision

No one lives in poverty because of poor eyesight; no one lives with poor eyesight because of poverty.

Our Mission

To enable people living in poverty to access affordable glasses and eye care.

 

Key Facts

Vision Aid Overseas’ eye care programmes across Africa are aligned with the United Nation’s (UN) Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Reducing visual impairment is widely seen as an accelerator to achieving the SDG’s, such as eliminating poverty, improving health and well-being, improving education and reducing inequalities. Providing access to affordable eye care services and prescription glasses is essential to ensuring no one is left behind.

  • 1.1 billion people worldwide have near vision impairment simply because they do not have a pair of glasses

  • 12 million children worldwide struggle to learn simply because they need glasses

  • 55% of visually impaired people are women

  • 89% of visually impaired people live in low and middle-income countries

  • 75% of all visual impairment is preventable or curable

  • $200 billion worth of productivity is lost every year because so many people do not have the glasses they need to see clearly