Seeing is Believing

We’re celebrating the huge impact that this long-running eye health project is having on people’s lives.

A quarter of the world’s population has a visual impairment.

And the inequalities are huge: the number of people affected in low and middle income countries is four times higher than in high income countries.

Our Seeing is Believing project, active in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, has worked to address those inequalities, treat avoidable blindness and improve local healthcare to ensure the impact is lasting.

To celebrate the 17-year-long project, we challenged Sightsavers CEO Caroline Harper to memorise and recite 17 of those achievements within 90 seconds.

Watch Caroline’s challenge below.

Explore the project’s 17 successes

A group of Indian women wearing colourful headscarves smile and laugh.

Screened 34 million people

Hear from our chief global technical lead to get a behind-the-scenes look at how we reached so many people.

Older women wearing glasses, smiling at a baby held by a younger women.

Given 860,000 people glasses

Learn how we've contributed to halving blindness in the remote Sundarbans region of eastern India.

A young man sitting in the driver seat of a van.

Provided 619,000 cataract operations

Meet Arif, whose operation enabled him to learn at school, migrate from his childhood village and earn a living.

Became better at finding people

Meet the miking team we trained to spread the word about free eye healthcare among remote communities.

Disabled People’s Organisation leaders, Sightsavers staff and medical practitioners workers outside a hospital along with Camilo Morreira.

Made our work more inclusive

Through our learning, we continue to reach those most marginalised via inclusive eye health projects.

Increased people’s trust

Learn how members of Arif's family became confident to seek treatment after his successful operation.

Treated more women for cataracts

Women are more likely to develop cataracts, so we make sure people like Azimunnisa can get the treatment they need.

A slim walkway through an informal urban settlement.

Lowered cataract cases in poor areas

People living in informal, urban settlements often experience discrimination, so we ensured they aren’t left behind.

A woman wearing a black hijab smiles and walks along a brick-lined street.

Inspired people to become champions

In Pakistan, we trained Lady Health Workers to make sure families are informed about eye health.

Three men stand outside a hospital entrance.

Trained 185,000 health workers

Meet the health workers who were trained more than 10 years ago and see what impact it has had on their careers.

A student covers one eye during an eye test at a school in India.

Trained 83,000 teachers and classroom assistants to spot eye health problems

Training education staff to carry out eye screenings helps to make sure that in the future, no child will be left behind.

A doctor examines Souleymane's eyes for cataracts

Screened 2 million children

Without eye health screenings, hundreds of children around the world who were born with cataracts wouldn’t have been diagnosed and treated to stop them going irreversibly blind.

School children in Sierra Leone smile at the camera.

Improved childhood nutrition

To reduce deficiency-associated blindness among children, we provided vitamin A supplements.

A photo of someone's hands on a piece of paper with braille on it.

Provided resources such as braille

We’ve helped to ensure all children, including those with visual impairments, can learn at school alongside their peers.

Worked with governments to provide integrated eye health

We’ve integrated eye health into countries’ primary health care, meaning our impact will continue long into the future.

A close-up of a researcher's hands as they write data onto a sheet of paper.

Carried out research on how to make healthcare more effective

We conduct independent research to shape our work and make sure it’s as effective as possible.

A tray of surgical equipment, syringes and ointment.

Contributed to the first research into the cost of eye care in Africa

These estimates are crucial to help meet global goals to eliminate avoidable blindness. Read about the impact that good sight has on the global economy.

The Seeing is Believing project, funded by Standard Chartered, worked in 22 countries with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and a global community of leading eye care non-governmental organisations.

Read our insight into the project from behind the scenes

Reaching 34 million people

We protect sight, fight disease and make sure everyone can claim their rights.

Find out how your support can make a huge difference and change lives.