When we restore sight, we don’t just change how people see the world—we change what the world can be.
In 2025, Seva reached more people than ever before—restoring sight, strengthening communities, and proving what’s possible when compassion drives action.
Each year, vision loss robs low- and middle-income countries of an estimated $1 trillion in productivity. Yet we know that 90% of vision loss is preventable, often with solutions as simple as a pair of eyeglasses or a $50 cataract surgery. The evidence is unequivocal: restoring sight is not only a matter of health—it is one of the most effective poverty-fighting strategies we possess.
Photo above: Call for Ideas launch in Kampala, Uganda.
Seva’s Call for Ideas (CFI) is a powerful tool for uncovering locally driven, innovative solutions that expand access to eye care. Since its launch in 2019 with Native Nations, CFI has grown to include global technology rounds and regional initiatives.
India’s Envision Project, supported by Seva and Standard Chartered Bank, achieved its ambitious 3-year goal of creating access to eye care for 4 million people by establishing 65 Vision Centers across the country. Here’s a glimpse of the impact made so far:
Seva’s 2024 Global Vision Center Survey gathered insights from 494 staff across five regions to understand the impact of Vision Centers (VCs) on care quality, community reach, and staff satisfaction. The results were overwhelmingly positive, especially where technology use was high.
In Pachalum, Guatemala, a proud rural community of hardworking farmers and expert weavers united by shared traditions, a new Vision Center is opening doors to clearer sight and brighter futures.
This past year reminded me again that Seva’s story is one of resilience – not just the resilience of the communities we serve but of a mission that continues to thrive through challenge, change, and time. And at the heart of that resilience is you.
When we first opened a modest Vision Center in the Himalayan hills of Nepal in 1989, we didn’t have a roadmap – just a vision (pun intended) of what was possible. Today, that vision has grown into a worldwide network of 266 Vision Centers, providing permanent access to critical care for over 29 million people. In the last year alone, our partner hospitals in more than 20 countries delivered quality eye care to over 7 million individuals. What sustains this work isn’t just funding or infrastructure – it’s belief. Yours.
Seva piloted primary eye care Vision Centers (VCs) in Nepal in 1989 to provide critical eye care services to people living in remote villages scattered across the Himalayas. Since then, Seva has established 266 VCs across 12 countries, bringing access to eye care to over 29 million people.
Right now, somewhere in the world, someone is seeing clearly for the first time – thanks to you.
Through Seva, your compassion does more than restore sight. It brings back the sparkle in a child’s eye, the confidence in a mother’s stride, and the independence of a grandfather finding his way again.
A new Seva project in India will target babies’ and children’s needs; specifically, children’s need for eyeglasses (correcting quality refractive error), and treating Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) in babies.
School-aged students will receive complete eye checkups, prescriptions, and a selection of stylish frames at their local Vision Centers. To ensure ongoing eye care there will be staff dedicated to vision monitoring and follow-up visits, as well as training a team of teachers and youth ambassadors.