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Seva's CGI Commitment: So One Million Eyes See Again
Seva Foundation is committed to lead a global coalition of community eye-care facilities so that by 2015, one million more eyes receive sight-restoring surgery each year above current capacity.
Additionally, more than 10 million people will be screened and treated for other eye problems each year, with an emphasis on serving women and girls. In total, over 200 million people will have increased access to eye care services by 2015 as a result of this commitment.
The Problem: Cataract Blindness |
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Forty-five million people in the world are blind — two-thirds of whom are women. Cataract remains the leading cause of blindness despite the fact that a simple 15-minute surgical procedure can restore sight immediately.
Such treatment is life-transforming. Most patients resume wage-earning activities immediately after surgery, earning on average 15 times the cost of the surgery in the first post-operative year. According to the World Bank, cataract surgery is among the most cost-effective health interventions in developing nations.
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Unfortunately, poor quality of service, and the high cost of treatment and transporation to distant facilities, prevent the majority of the world's blind from receiving care. This commitment will address some of these challenges.
Seva's CGI Commitment
Seva Foundation's CGI Commitment, So One Million Eyes See Again, will restore sight to one million more blind every year in rural, low- to middle-income communities in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Because the campaign will help bridge the gender gap in eye care services, millions of women and girls who would otherwise remain blind will be able to go to school, return to work, and become contributing members in their communities.
For 30 years, Seva's pioneering, results-driven, and comprehensive approach — fostering dynamic partnerships, integrating technology and training, and serving as a force multiplier for eye care — has helped our partners serve the world's most vulnerable populations, especially women, girls, and those living in rural areas. In the past year alone, Seva and its partners performed over 500,000 eye surgeries and screened over three million people for eye health.
Seva's Global Sight Network is building the capacity of leading eye care hospitals in developing nations, who will then train and mentor ophthalmic service providers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Because we concentrate on development of sustainable systems, these services will be available for future generations in perpetuity.
Our CGI commitment supports the World Health Organization's VISION 2020 goals to end avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
Performance Metrics
We will use the following performance metrics to measure progress toward our campaign targets during the implementation phase from 2009-2015:
- 200 million people will have increased access to quality eye services.
- 10.4 million people (4.8 million female) will experience a reduction in burden of blindness & vision disability.
- 2.6 million adult patients (1.6 million female) will receive sight-restoring cataract surgery.
- 130,000 children will receive sight-restoring cataract surgery.
- 26 million people (16 million female) will be screened for eye health problems.
- Patients in 18 countries will receive sight-restoring services.
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