Eye care & the gender gap. Let’s talk about it.

Photo by Apurva Shroff: At 16 years of age, Arati (on the right with her mother) was diagnosed with diabetes, causing cataracts in both her eyes. After receiving a free cataract surgery she is considering going back to school and continuing her studies!

It’s 2024, and women are still struggling to access equitable health care. How is this? Supporters like you have asked us this question quite a few times and we’re glad you do – we appreciate the hard q’s.

The disparities we’re grappling with are centuries old. Economic barriers, gender politics, and social norms – to name a few – make it difficult for women in developing countries to access eye care. 

Seva has worked to untangle and address these challenges for 45 years. From hiring and training local women as eye care professionals who can contribute to the local economy, to gender-responsive outreach and policy advocacy, we work in more than 20 countries to empower and serve women.

Here are a few of the profound ways you are helping Seva to level the playing field for women and girls.

Continue reading

This is how we do it.

Foundacion Vision Mobile Vision Center in Peru.

Restoring sight looks different in every area. No two communities, geographies, or cultures are the same – we work closely with local partners to understand what prevents people from accessing eye care and what we can do about it. 

Vision Centers (VCs) are one way we achieve this. These local establishments are equipped to meet 80% of all eye care needs, and refer patients who require more specialized care to a partner hospital. In the past five years, through your support, we’ve established 139 VCs in remote areas of the world, creating life-changing access to eye care for millions along the way. Read below for four different types of VCs:

Continue reading

Clearing the Path to Higher Ground

Mr. Ram Prasad Kandel talking with patients after their cataract surgeries.

Ram Prasad Kandel Retires After 25 Years of Caring Service

It’s not hyperbole to say there ain’t no mountain high enough to deter Seva’s Nepal Program Director, Ram Prasad Kandel. For the past 25-plus years, he’s been on the road with Seva, traversing hilly terrain and rough roads in Nepal, India, and Cambodia to support eye camps, establish Vision Centers, and connect with the people who come seeking help.

Continue reading

New Vision Centers: Mobilizing Towards Eye Health Equity

Last year, Seva and partners established 30 new vision centers across Bangladesh, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, and the United States. Of these, we are thrilled to share that 26 have been inaugurated.

Vision Center inaugurations are attended by local leaders who introduce the eye professionals and paraprofessionals to the people they serve. By doing so, they build trust and promote the importance of proper eye care. It also helps to normalize eye care throughout the region and spread the word that treatment and care are now accessible.

Two Seva Studies Spotlight Cost of Eye Care

High-quality data for global economic estimates in eye health, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries, is limited. Two years ago, Seva started an initiative to spotlight the ‘cost of community and primary care in eye health’ and ‘The economic and social costs of visual impairment and blindness’ with the aim to generate first-hand evidence. 

Continue reading

MODO does more to bring eye care to all! 

MODO, an international eyewear company, has been vital to helping Seva increase access to eye care globally. In 2018, Seva made a commitment to screen one million children and provide all necessary follow-up care by December 2020. This undertaking was supported by Seva’s corporate partner, MODO, and other Seva supporters. 

Continue reading

Start-ups aren’t the only ones disrupting old patterns …

Photo: Pristine 5.0 Retinal Camera (formerly Vistaro) in action.

When you think of “disruptive and revolutionary tech,” what comes to mind?

Major companies, start-ups, a laboratory on the brink of discovery – but what about nonprofits?

You read that right, nonprofits. We know nonprofits don’t often come top of mind as being “disruptive,” but we’re here to paint a new picture. Compassion has always been an important driver of innovation at Seva.

At Seva, we invest in a suite of cutting-edge and revolutionary technologies to create a world free of avoidable blindness. Leveraging millions of data points, four decades of experience, and a network of leading public health experts, engineers, and physicians, our best-in-class tech solutions revolutionize the way eye care is delivered worldwide.

“We operate at the scale of a major corporation and the nimbleness of a start-up. Straddling this balance is disrupting the future of ophthalmology and public health – for good”.

– Kate Moynihan, Executive Director, Seva Foundation.

This is the new frontier of compassion driven eye care tech that you support:

Continue reading

Join us on the Flight for Sight!

Bangladesh Boys

From the Himalayan mountains to the Amazonian rainforests of Peru, Seva delivers vital eye care to 20+ countries. So pack your virtual bags, and take a trip with us right from your screens to witness the beauty you create in this world. 

globe
map marker

First Stop 
BANGLADESH

Since 2006, Seva has worked in Bangladesh to deliver vital eye care, treatment, and resources for those in remote communities. Here, the rate of blindness is nearly 3X that of the United States. Access to eye care is everything

Earlier this year, we set out to raise funds for 7 new Vision Centers (VC) across the country, matched by a generous family – and we achieved it, together! These new VCs, currently in development, will create immediate access to eye care for 700,000 people in remote areas and will address up to 80% of all of their eye care needs!

Continue reading

Take a beat & take this quiz!

Photo of Pablito from Guatemala by Rebecca Gaal.

And we’re back…with another Seva Quiz! Ever wonder about the people, places, and solutions that guide our work? Well, look no further! We asked our team, dug our archives, and have a brand new & fun game of trivia to see how well you know the magic that makes Seva possible.

Take it now & you may even learn something new!

Continue reading