On World Sight Day, Standard Chartered Bank announced plans to open 17 new vision centres across India by December 2024, as part of its ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme. The initiative aims to tackle avoidable blindness and increase access to eye care. The new centres will be set up in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, bringing the total number of vision centres to 617.
Empowering Women Through Optometry
Alongside expanding vision centres, Standard Chartered is opening its fourth optometry academy in Samastipur, Bihar. The academy will train 95 young women in the first batch, providing them with skills to become optometrists and offer critical eye health services. This academy joins others in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Madurai, all focused on transforming lives and improving eye care access in remote regions.
Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability at Standard Chartered Bank, emphasized the bank’s commitment to addressing avoidable blindness and empowering women. “The ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme has made a significant positive impact, particularly in remote areas. More than 80% of our vision centres are self-sustaining, and our focus is to build capacity and eliminate blindness area by area,” she said.
Impact of ‘Seeing is Believing’
Since its inception in 2003, ‘Seeing is Believing’ has reached over 15 million people in India. The bank is committed to extending this impact to 18 million by 2027. The programme’s highlights include:
- 63 vision centres offering teleophthalmology
- Over 92 lakh patients screened
- 37 lakh cataract surgeries performed
- 50% of centres operated by women
This initiative exemplifies Standard Chartered’s dedication to improving lives by providing access to world-class primary eye care and creating employment opportunities.
