FAQs
This strategic partnership brings together two of the world’s most respected organizations in global eye health—Cure Blindness Project and The Fred Hollows Foundation—to dramatically accelerate progress against avoidable blindness. It is not a merger: both organizations will remain fully independent, with their own identities, leadership, and operations.
By aligning where it makes the most impact, the partnership leverages more than 60 years of combined expertise to deliver large-scale, sustainable eye health solutions. Together, we will build stronger local health systems, reduce preventable blindness, and unlock the potential of millions of people around the world.
Together, we aim to end avoidable blindness in Rwanda and Laos by 2035 and significantly reduce cataract backlogs in several additional countries. Over the next five years, the partnership will support more than 177,000 cataract surgeries, strengthen and equip eye health facilities, train new ophthalmologists and eye care personnel, and embed sustainable systems into national health structures.
Working alongside governments and local leaders, we will clear cataract backlogs, trial innovative models of care, build resilient, people-centered eye health systems, and ensure that these solutions are locally owned and sustainable for generations to come.
Despite decades of progress, avoidable blindness is still rising globally. More than 43 million people are blind and unable to perform basic daily tasks. Another 1 billion people are not thriving because they cannot see clearly. A staggering 90% of people with sight loss live in low- and middle-income countries where eye care is often completely out of reach.
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in many of the countries where we work – and it can be treated with a 10-minute surgery costing as little as $70. The problem is not medical. It's systemic. That's why this partnership matters: it combines Cure Blindness Project's expertise in high-volume surgical delivery and ophthalmic training with The Fred Hollows Foundation's leadership in health systems strengthening, workforce development, and policy advocacy. Together, we can move faster and reach further than either organization could alone.
Rwanda and Laos face some of the highest burdens of avoidable blindness in the world, with tens of thousands needing cataract surgery and millions more at risk of vision loss by 2050. Both countries have strong government commitment to expanding eye health, making this a pivotal moment to create long-term, system-wide change.
The combination of government commitment, existing infrastructure, clear investment roadmaps, and the aligned expertise of both organizations – alongside allied institutions like the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology from Nepal and other local partners – gives us confidence that Rwanda and Laos are primed to achieve the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2035.
The partnership includes investment plans designed with each country’s Ministry of Health to build strong, self-sustaining systems. This includes upgrading and equipping hospitals, training eye care professionals (from surgeons to community health workers), strengthening referral networks, and embedding eye care into national health strategies.
Supporters can help accelerate this work by donating, following project updates, sharing awareness, or engaging with upcoming opportunities such as events, briefings, or stories from the field. Every action helps advance the mission of ending avoidable blindness.
