About the International Eye Foundation

SightReach® Management in Action:

Aravind Eye Hospital

Madurai, India 2000 to Today

Aravind Eye Hospital is a global leader in eye care service delivery. As only 7% of the rural population in and around Madurai, India needing eye care comes to the screening camps for service, Aravind and IEF have created an innovative model--two pilot Vision Centers in Theni District at Andipatti and Ambasamudram, each serving approximately 25,000 people.

The centers are small, low-overhead facilities that are able to provide primary care, refraction testing, and eyeglasses. They also screen patients for referral to the eye hospital, thus maximizing the effectiveness of the hospital in delivering secondary and tertiary care.

Each Vision Center is staffed by a trained ophthalmic assistant who, with volunteers, screens and identifies the people in all villages served by that center. A high-bandwidth wireless data network linked to the Theni Hospital allows for virtual consultation with an ophthalmologist at the base hospital for treatment or referral advice utilizing dramatic applications in telemedicine. Our support will allow Aravind to open two new Vision Centers in 2005.

SightReach® Management Supports Aravind's E-resource Website

Access to information is a critical need in developing countries. A grant from IEF enabled Aravind and LAICO to launch Vision 2020 e-resource, a website to share practical and tested resources for planning, implementing and monitoring different aspects of eye care services including disease control, human resource development and infrastructure development. [ Back to SRM ]

The IEF's blindness prevention and sight saving programs are funded by governmental, foundation, and corporate contributors, as well as individuals like you who generously donate online. Our website showcases our successes and our breadth of services to the developing world. Feel free to contact us with specific questions or requests. [ IEF Programs ]