Testimonials:
Name: Shah Begum
Gender: Female
Age: 52 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Bikaner, Jaipur
Shah visited the eyeglasses outreach program and got her eye-screening done. She complained of blurred vision and issues while threading a needle. She shared about the challenges while sorting threads, stitching, and weaving. This ultimately affected the final product. After receiving eyeglasses from VSF, she could work effectively and efficiently.
C. Improving the lives and productivity of artisans, weavers, and their households in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, Odisha through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses.
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation organised Eye-Screenings and Outreach Program in the camp setting for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers’ clusters in various locations in the Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, Odisha, India.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 10,000 artisans, weavers, and their households in the Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, Odisha, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Ideal Development Agency (IDA).
Eye-Screening Statistics*: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 2,203 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, Odisha, India, among them 51% (n = 1122) were males and 49% (n = 1081) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 58% (n = 1,283) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 13% (n = 294) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 64% (n =187) identified with suspected cataract and 36% (n = 103) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 96% (n = 1,175) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses;
5. Reading Glasses: 54% (n = 639) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 46% (n = 536).First Time Wearers (FTWs):88% (n = 1030) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 96%.
Please Note: 2,203 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 1,175 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is currently ongoing and should get completed by December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Konakkolita Mahanto
Gender: Female
Age: 35 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Odisha
She visited the outreach program and registered herself for eye-screening. She complained of not being able to read alphabets and messages in her phone. After receiving VSF eyeglasses, she noticed the difference in her eyesight. She was able to read text messages and work with threads in comfort. She did not have to take help from her colleagues and was being more productive in deliver the units required.
D. Improving the lives and productivity of artisans, weavers and their households in the Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli districts, Assam through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses.
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) organised Eye-Screening and Outreach Program for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers’ clusters in various locations in the Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli districts. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols. This program was in collaboration with Society for North-East Handmade Paper Development (SNEHPAD).
Eye-Screening Statistics*: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 13,867 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of the Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli districts, Assam, India, among them 39% (n = 5427) were males and 61% (n = 8340) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 75% (n = 10352) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 18% (n = 2544) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 76% (n = 1940) identified with suspected cataract and 24% (n = 604) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 98% (n = 10100) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 50% (n = 5081), Pre-Cut: 1% (n = 70) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 49% (n = 4949).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 78% (n = 7841) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 98%.
Please Note: 13,867 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2022 and eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is currently ongoing and should get completed by December 2022.
Programs/Projects Undertaken between 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022:
A. Improving the lives and productivity of artisans, weavers and their households in Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) organised Eye-Screening Eyeglasses Outreach Program for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers’ clusters in various locations in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, India. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols. The objective of the project is to reach out to 55,000 artisans, weavers and their households. This program was conducted in collaboration with the Fair Trade Forum-India.
Eye-Screening Statistics*: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 24,308 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of Delhi-NCR, Varanasi and Mirzapur districts in Uttar Pradesh, Barmer in Rajasthan, Ichalkaranji and Gondia in Maharashtra and Bhuj in Gujarat, India, among them 47% (n = 11,482) were males and 53% (n = 12,821) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 63% (n = 15,328) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 15% (n = 3,733) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 74% (n = 2,745) identified with suspected cataract and 26% (n = 988) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 96% (n = 14,772) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 49% (n = 7,177), Pre-cuts 0.5% (n = 81) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 50.5% (n = 7,514).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 67% (n = 9,916) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 96%.
Please Note: 24,308 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 14,772 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is currently ongoing and should get completed by December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Lakshman Shivram Godre
Gender: Male
Age: 55 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Gondia, Maharashtra
Lakshman visited the outreach program where he registered himself for eye-screening. He was experiencing blurred vision, watery and redness in the eyes. After getting eyeglasses from VSF the issues of blurred vision, watery and redness of the eyes were gone. He was comfortable enough to weave, stich and yarn for longer hours. This brought in growth and improvement in his production.
Testimonial:
Name: Rajesh Devakar
Gender: Male
Age: 49 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Gondia, Maharashtra
Rajesh visited the outreach program and mentioned he was experiencing blurred vision and irritation to his eyes. Rajesh was taking longer hours in delivering production units. On wearing the VisionSpring Foundation eyeglasses, Rajesh saw the difference in his vision. He felt that he was able to cater to his daily duties without any hurdles. His vision was clearer and did not face any irritation in his eyes. He was being able to deliver the required number of units as per the given time by his production team.
Testimonials:
Name: Santosh Rao
Gender: Male
Age: 46 Years
Occupation: Weaver (Quality Check)
Location: Kutch, Gujarat, India
Santosh shared his concerns related to his blurred vision, redness, and teary eyes. He got his eyes tested and received eyeglasses; he shared that post wearing eyeglasses he was able to clear more units at the quality check stage within lesser time. This also increased his productivity and efficiency at work.
F. Improving the quality of lives and productivity of the factory workers including improved workplace safety by conducting the Clear Vision Workplaces program in the factories in Delhi NCR, through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation piloted its COVID protocols in a factory in India to ensure its new COVID Safety toolkit could be used effectively. VisionSpring Foundation’s Clear Vision Workplace program is designed to increase the coverage of vision screening and eyeglass wearing for working-age adults in India. Teams work with brands, national factory associations and individual factory management teams to integrate into the workplace regular vision screening and increase workers’ access to high quality eyeglasses.
Eye-Screening Statistics*: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 7801 factory workers in the Texport factories in Bangalore and in factories namely, Sarita Handa and Fashion Accessories, based out of Gurugram and Manesar, Haryana, India, and a total of 7142 factory workers in the factory units of Shahi Exports located in Mysore, Karnataka, among them 64% (n = 4993) were males and 36% (n = 2808) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 52% (n = 4063) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 5% (n = 357) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 24% (n = 85) identified with suspected cataract and 76% (n = 272) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 91% (n = 3712) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 60% (n = 2232), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 39% (n =1440) and Pre-Cuts: 1% (n = 40).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 99.9% (n = 3709) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 91%.
Please Note: 14,943 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2022 and 4,103 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2022.
Testimonials: Textport
Name: Pushpalata Kambale
Gender: Female
Age: 38 Years
Occupation: Factory worker - Garments
Location: Textport, Karnataka
Pushpalata visited outreach program and mentioned her concern of unclear vision which was causing regular irritation and redness to her eyes. She was facing these issues for many weeks which has led to challenges in delivering her day-to-day activities at her workplace. On receiving her VSF eyeglasses, she experienced difference and was able to carry out her duties at her workplace without any issues or concerns regarding her eye vision.
Testimonials: Sarita Handa and Fashion Accessories
Name: Shiv Kumar
Gender: Male
Age: 44 Years
Occupation: Stitcher
Location: Sector 37, Gurugram
Shiv Kumar visited the outreach program and registered himself for eye-screening. He was experiencing blurred vision and irritation in his eyes. He was not able to focus on his work for a long time because of the straining of the eyes. Post getting eyeglasses from VSF , he was able to work with threads and weave for longer time. The magic of clear vision gave him the opportunity to learn new skills and styles as per the requirements of the market.
Testimonials:
Name: Juri Dutta
Gender: Female
Age: 42 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Aparijat Jorhat, Assam
Juri visited the outreach program and registered herself for eye-screening. She described the difficulties she has been facing due to weak vision and has not been able to deliver the required number of units. With the help of VSF, she expressed her gratitude towards for new eyeglasses which has helped to increase her productivity and standard of work.
E. Improving the lives and productivity of the community members and their households in Punjab through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
The objective of Clear Vision Punjab is to touch 1 million in Punjab and in Chandigarh, India, by means of doing eye-screenings till 2028. Eyeglasses would be provided to them who require them.
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 5,824 community members and their families in various location in Sangrur district, Punjab, India, among them 47% (n = 2741) were males and 53% (n = 3058) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 60% (n = 3481) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 12% (n = 672) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 83% (n = 556) identified with suspected cataract and 17% (n =116) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 65% (n = 2253) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 46% (n = 1038), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 49% (n = 1108) and Pre-Cuts:5 % (n = 107).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 68% (n = 1539) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 65%.
Please Note: 5,824 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 2253 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would be completed in December 2022.
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Testimonials:
Name: Papiya Roy
Gender: Female
Age: 49 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Purulia, West Bengal
Papiya visited outreach program where she registered herself for eye-screening. She complained of eyes getting watery and itchy due to which she has been lacking behind in delivering her day-to-day production units. After getting eyeglasses from VSF, she was happay and cheerful.
Testimonials:
Name: Yashwant Singh
Gender: Male
Age: 58 Years
Occupation: Agricultural worker
Location: Barnala, Punjab
Yashwant visited the outreach program and shared his concern about facing difficulty in reading books and the newspaper, which has affected his work while farming. He was happy to witness how a pair of eyeglasses has changed his life he is able to read texts without any struggle. This also helped him in regaining his confidence at his workplace which led to higher productivity and efficiency.
Testimonials: Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra, India
Name: Shobha Bapat
Gender: Female
Age: 48 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra
Shobha has been working in the saree weaving industry for over 22 years. She visited the outreach program and got herself screened. She complained of blurred vision and difficulty in focusing on the same thing for a long time. After wearing the VSF eyeglasses, she expressed her comfort.
Testimonials:
Name: Rahul Gogoi
Gender: Male
Age: 48 Years
Occupation: Tea Picker
Location: Doomni, Nalbari, Assam
Rahul visited the outreach program and registered himself. He was experiencing difficulties in identifying the right kind of leaves to be plucked and was working continuously with articles at close vicinity caused his eye irritation. This has affected his productivity leading to inefficient and ineffective work. After receiving the VSF eyeglasses, he expressed his gratitude as he was able to work and delivering effectively.
G. Improving the lives and productivity of the tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in the tea estates located in the Golaghat district in Assam through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF), organised Eye-Screening and Outreach Program for the tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in various tea estates located in the Golaghat district, Assam, namely, Negheriting, Balijan, Sitalpathar and Dooria, Assam, India. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 12,000 tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in various tea estates located in the Golaghat district, Assam, namely, Negheriting, Balijan, Sitalpathar and Dooria, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Farm2Food Foundation
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 2966 community members and their families in Negheriting tea Estate, Assam, India, among them 49% (n = 1404) were males and 51% (n = 1468) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 74% (n = 2207) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 13% (n = 395) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 60% (n = 237) identified with suspected cataract and 40% (n = 158) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4,. Eyeglasses distribution: 83% (n = 1829) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 47% (n = 1031), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 36% (n = 798).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 32% (n = 582) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 83%.
Please Note: 2,966 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 1,829 eyeglasses have been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Raj Kumar
Gender: Male
Age: 58 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Kutch, Gujarat, India
Raj Kumar visited the Eyeglasses Outreach Program where get his eye tested. Earlier, he was unable to work for longer hours as his eyes would turn red and watery. He was unable to deliver the required number of units and due to which he was facing financial issues. He got pair of eyeglasses which helped him to work more effectively and efficiently.
F. Improving the lives and productivity of the tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in the Baksa district in Assam through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF), organised Eye-Screening and Outreach Program for the tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in various locations in Baksa district, Assam. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 13,500 tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) in various locations in Baksa district, Assam, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Every Infant Matters.
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 850 community members and their families in various location in Baksa district, Assam in India, among them % (n = ) were males and % (n = ) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: % (n = 443) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 24% (n = 200) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 82% (n = 163) identified with suspected cataract and 18% (n = 37) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 71% (n = 315) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 79% (n = 248), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 18% (n = 58) and Pre-Cuts: 3% (n = 9).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 92% (n = 291) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 71%.
Please Note: 850 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 315 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Lily Sahu
Gender: Female
Age: 55 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Mukta Nagar, Nuapatna, Cuttack, Odisha
Lily visited the outreach program and registered herself for eye-screening. She complained blurred vision and difficulty in threading a needle while weaving. She was given eyeglasses by VSF and was extremely delighted as she could do her daily tasks without any help and support of family members.
J. Improving the lives and educational outcomes of children through the provision of eyeglasses
Locations: Delhi NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand in India
VSF collaborated with multiple mission-aligned organizations/bodies such as National Planning for Control and Blindness, SHS (New Delhi), Integrated Sciences, ITDP Palghar (Maharashtra), SSM Nanded, Rotary International (West Bengal), Urjavya Foundation (Jharkhand), Shroff Eye Hospital (New Delhi) and Dyal Singh College (Karnal).
VSF conducted eye-screenings of 74,146 children and provided 13,280 eyeglasses from July 2022 to September 2022. These eyeglasses helped children to see clearly and improved learning outcomes as 80% of learning is through vision. It helps children to actively participate in school and would contribute to making their future bright.
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of children screened: Screened 74,146 children in various states of India.
2. Eyeglasses distribution: 13,280 eyeglasses were distributed to the children who had refractive error.
3. First Time Wearers (FTWs): Out of 13,280 eyeglasses distributed to the children, 9,374 were the first-time eyeglasses wearers.
Testimonials: Karnataka
Name: Dinesh Pal
Gender: Male
Age: 58 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Karnataka
Dinesh visited the outreach program where he registered himself to get his eye checked. He mentioned about having severe headaches, and irritation in his eyes which has been causing him a lot of leaves and time off from work. On receiving the VisionSpring foundation eyeglasses, he mentioned about the difference he could feel in his vision. He mentioned about being regular at his workplace and delivering the required number of units as per the requirement. He shared of weaving better-quality units and clearing the quality check stage.
B. Improving the lives and productivity of artisans, weavers and their households in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses.
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation organized Eye-Screening and Eyeglasses Outreach Program for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers clusters in various locations in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, India. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 35,000 artisans, weavers and their households in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Jaipur Rugs Foundation.
Eye-Screening Statistics*: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 16,833 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of Bikaner, Jaipur, Alwar, Sikar and Dausa in Rajasthan, India, among them 45% (n = 7562) were males and 55% (n = 9121) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 49% (n = 8267) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3.Referrals made for the screened population: 11% (n = 1805) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 75 % (n = 1354) identified with suspected cataract and 25% (n = 451) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 66% (n = 5491) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 57% (n= 3134) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 43% (n = 2354).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 90% (n = 4969) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6.Post-coverage rate in the population was 66%.
Please Note: 16,833 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 5,491 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is currently ongoing and should get completed by December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Ashish Borkotoki
Gender: Male
Age: 47 Years
Occupation: Tea Picker
Location: Negheriting Tea Estate, Golaghat, Assam
Ashish visited outreach program and got himself registered. He has been working in the tea estate for more than seven years. He was experiencing itching and redness in eyes and got himself tested. On receiving the VSF eyeglasses, he expressed his happiness and thanked VSF for a clear vision which helped in delivering his work on time and without taking long breaks from work.
H. Improving the lives and productivity of 8,800 artisans, weavers and their households in Surat, Navsari, Ankleshwar and Kim, Gujarat through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses.
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) organised Eye-Screening and Outreach Program for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers clusters in various locations in Surat, Navsari, Ankleshwar and Kim, Gujarat, India. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 8,800 artisans, weavers and their households in Surat, Navsari, Ankleshwar and Kim, Gujarat, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Sanjay Mane Foundation
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 5925 community members and their families in various locations in Surat district, Gujarat, India, among them 75% (n = 4471) were males and 24% (n = 1447) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 41% (n = 2409) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 5% (n = 298) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 56% (n =168) identified with suspected cataract and 44% (n = 130) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution:82% (n = 1975) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 69% (n = 1369), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 29% (n = 576) and Pre-Cuts: 2% (n = 30).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs):72% (n = 1422) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 82%.
Please Note: 5925 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and 1975 eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2022.
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) Activity Report: 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
Mission
To provide eye-screening, primary eye-care services, and eye-health advice to the people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.
Current Scenario
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, more than 700 million people in the developing world struggle with poor life quality due to bad eyesight. It is estimated that uncorrected vision results in $227 billion in lost productivity to the global economy. In India alone, an estimated 550 million (55 Crore) people require eyeglasses for vision correction. Blurry vision compromises one’s ability to work effectively, to read and learn in school, and to navigate surroundings with ease and safety. For many living in developing countries suffering from vision loss, a pair of eyeglasses could mean the difference between opportunity and loss of income and quality of life.
Activities
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) is an NGO (not-for-profit) that does eye-screening for the poor people, provides primary eye-care services, and eye-health advice with FCRA Registration Number: 231661855. VSF also has the facility of providing eyeglasses to those who need them. VSF conducts community outreach activities and free eye-screening camps. The mobile eye-care units (vans) go to the remote interiors and provide last mile vision-care services to the poor. VSF also provides eye-care/eye-health advice centres and refers patients with complex eye diseases (such as cataract, etc.) to the nearest eye hospital. VSF helps change the lives of the poor people in India by aiding in restoring their vision.
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) received a grant amount of USD ($) 36,76,621 from 1st January 2020 to 30th September 2022:
Testimonials:
Name: Dinesh Pandey
Gender: Male
Age: 42 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Bestan, Surat, Gujarat, India
Dinesh visited the outreach program where he registered himself for eye-screening. He has been facing difficulty in reading texts messages which has led to constant strain to his eyes. After getting tested and receiving eyeglasses from VSF, he could read messages clearly and was not able to work at the dispatching station. He was confident in taking up additional responsibilities at his workplace which could leverage his income.
I. Improving the lives and productivity of 1,000 artisans, weavers and their households in the Nuapatna clusters in Cuttack, Odisha through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses,
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) organised Eye- Screenings and Outreach Program for the weavers and artisans, their families, and associated communities in the artisans and weavers clusters in various locations in the Nuapatna clusters in Cuttack, Odisha. After making the locations COVID ready by doing COVID awareness creation, training on hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols in the camp premises, VSF conducted eye-screenings with the COVID safe protocols.
The objective of the project is to reach out to 1,000 artisans, weavers and their households in the Nuapatna clusters in Cuttack, Odisha, conduct eye-screenings and distribute/dispense eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment. This program was in collaboration with Society for Development of Human Resources Through Handloom and Allied Activities (SHRADDHA)
Eye-Screening Statistics*:1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 1000 artisans, weavers and their households in the Nuapatna clusters in Cuttack, Odisha, India, among them 65% (n = 653) were males and 35% (n = 347) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 86% (n = 863) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 11% (n = 108) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 56% (n = 60) identified with suspected cataract and 44% (n = 47) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 93% (n = 800) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 57% (n = 456), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 37% (n = 292) and Pre-Cuts: 7% (n = 52).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 85% (n = 683) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 93%.
Please Note: 1,000 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 and eyeglasses had been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2022.
Testimonials:
Name: Harish Chandra
Gender: Male
Age: 53 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Harish visited outreach program and got his eye tested. He was having trouble working for long hours especially sorting threads, weaving, and yarning and this made his eyes dry and itchy. After receiving eyeglasses, he was able to get his products weaved as per the time allocated to him.
Testimonials:
Name: Khena Parvat Khare
Gender: Male
Age: 49 Years
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Bhuj, Gujarat
Khena visited outreach program and mentioned experiencing frequent headaches and black outs while working and sorting threads. He has been unable to complete his targets and goals which has ultimately affected his income. After getting eyeglasses from VSF, Khena noticed the difference in his vision. He mentioned his ability to sort threads and work on his units without making mistakes.