RestoringVision has been awarded a $4 million grant from Founders Pledge to address presbyopia at scale in India and Nigeria, the organization said.
This investment will enable RestoringVision to implement three large-scale initiatives with its partners to provide reading glasses to 2.5 million people living in poverty with uncorrected presbyopia.
RestoringVision focuses on addressing presbyopia at scale. Presbyopia is a naturally occurring, age-related eye condition where the lens of the eye loses its flexibility, making it difficult to focus on close objects. It typically occurs around the age of 40 and affects near vision, causing difficulty with tasks like reading or using a smartphone.
The condition affects billions of people worldwide, including 800 million who have limited access to vision care.
RestoringVision says it aims to increase income potential, alleviate poverty, and foster sustained impact in India and Nigeria – two of the largest countries in the world – by increasing access to vision screening and reading glasses.
The programs include the following:
India:
RestoringVision will collaborate with Supreme Task India, an NGO focused on access to affordable healthcare, to provide 500,000 adults aged 35-65 working in visually intensive occupations in Odisha state – one of the poorest states in India – with vision screenings and reading glasses. These include tailors, weavers, mechanics, carpenters, and farmers among others, to enable them to see clearly and continue their work.
Nigeria:
Two million people will receive vision screenings and reading glasses in Nigeria through two initiatives to scale access to clear sight. This will be the largest contribution to date to advance the Nigerian Presidential Initiative that aims to reach five million Nigerians with glasses over the next several years.
RestoringVision will work with the Nigerian government’s National Eye Health Programme, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and other partners to supply one million reading glasses for programs reaching people living in poverty with presbyopia and provide technical support to help this initiative succeed.
In addition, RestoringVision will partner with the Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN) to provide vision screenings and reading glasses to one million adults engaged in visually intensive occupations. The program will leverage Nigeria’s faith-based health systems – tapping into CHAN’s nationwide network of faith-based hospitals, clinics, and community outreach organizations, in collaboration with faith leaders from Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim communities.
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“Thanks to this transformative grant from Founders Pledge we are thrilled to be able to scale up our presbyopia programs in India and Nigeria so that more people will be able to see clearly,” said Pelin Munis, Ph.D., CEO of RestoringVision.
“This grant not only enables us to reach millions more people with the gift of clear sight but also fosters a broader global community of changemakers dedicated to creating a world where everyone who needs glasses has them. It is taking us a significant step forward towards solving the global vision crisis.”
RestoringVision is a global nonprofit dedicated to ending the global vision crisis. The organization is committed to creating equitable access to vision services and eyeglasses, particularly for individuals living on less than $2 a day.
Founders Pledge is a global nonprofit empowering entrepreneurs to do the most good possible with their charitable giving.
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