Preventing Blindness in Rural India, One Community at a Time
Cure Blindness Project, in collaboration with Sitapur Eye Hospital, is implementing the Blindness Prevention Program in India to reduce preventable blindness and improve access to quality eye care services in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Central to this effort are Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)—dedicated Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are trained to screen for eye conditions, provide primary treatment for corneal abrasions, and refer patients for advanced care, including refractive errors and cataracts.
Initially launched in the Biswan, Laharpur, and Tambaur blocks of Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, this model has already demonstrated remarkable impact: 97% of patients have been treated at the primary level by trained community health workers on corneal diseases, a recent Deloitte study estimated a 7.3x social return on investment, and communities are receiving faster care while developing greater trust in early intervention. Since program inception in India, our trained Community health workers have screened over 108,367 patients on different eye diseases and made 1,022 referrals for advanced care.
