On World Sight Day, Standard Chartered Bank, India, said that it will open 200 vision centres over the next two years keeping with one of the Bank’s sustainability objective of tackling avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
So far, the Bank has opened 135 vision centers across 22 states and have conducted 2.36 million cataract surgeries and dispensed close to 1,97,000 spectacles overall benefitting close to 14 million people since inception of Seeing is Believing by Standard Chartered programme in 2003.
These vision centres, which will offer eye care services, will be set up with leading partners operating in this segment, across eight states under the “Seeing is Believing by Standard Chartered” initiative.
This will include 58 futuristic vision centres which will help strengthen the tele-ophthalmology system and clinical evaluation; aid early detection of complex condition; and reduce referral travel, thus bridging the geographic gap between primary and tertiary care.
Some of these vision centres will focus on disability inclusive rehabilitation services — which means that people with disabilities will be referred for medical, livelihood or education support as required.
The Bank will also be engaging with several community-based organisations for delivering comprehensive, equitable and sustainable eye health services especially for women who generally bear a heavier burden of avoidable blindness.
In the first batch, 90 vision centres including 14 futuristic vision centres, will be launched by end of December 2020 in partnership with L V Prasad, CBM India, Sightsavers India, Dr. Shroff’s Charitable Eye Hospital, Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital, Mission for Vision, C.L. Gupta and Alakh Nayan Mandir in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
