MFV Photoessay: Towards the Light - A journey to restore sight, independence & dignity

Imagine if you see the world somewhat like this -blurred, hazy outlines, contrasting light & darkness…

Towards the LightA Journey to Restore Sight, Independence & Dignity

There are an estimated 285 mn people worldwide who are visually impaired.

22% of them are in India.

80% of blindness is avoidable

The main causes of blindness are: - Cataract – 62.6%- Refractive errors – 19.7%- Glaucoma – 5.8% - Posterior segment disorder – 4.7% - Others – 7.19%

(Source: WHO: Global Data on Visual Impairments 2010 & NPCB)

(Source: WHO: Global Data on Visual Impairments 2010)

Older people are most affected with eye care problems, making it tougher for them to get through routine tasks each day.

- 65% of people who are visually impaired and - 82% of those who are blind

Are 50 years or older (globally).

Mission for Vision (MFV) was started in 2000 by the Tulsi Trust with the belief that eradicating avoidable blindness enhances productivity.

Higher productivity = social and economic equality.

MissionTo establish in partnership, a hospital in every state of India providing free, high quality eye care to the

poor.

VisionTo restore the gift of vision to every visually impaired human being irrespective of nationality, religion or

socio-economic status.

Philosophy

“Caring capitalists have a responsibility beyond ourselves, to care for the social and environmental surroundings of the business.

If the surrounding community is happy, healthy and secure, one is assured of a better tomorrow.”

Jagdish M. Chanrai, Founder, MFV

MFV today partners 17 hospitals across 

12 states in India.

• Andhra Pradesh• Assam• Gujarat• Karnataka• Maharashtra• Meghalaya• Mizoram• Punjab• Tamil Nadu• Uttarakhand• Uttar Pradesh• West Bengal

Map of India is only for representative purposes. Not to scale.

MFV’s 17 partner hospitals

Bansara Eye Care Institution, Shillong

Nirmal Ashram Eye Institute, Rishikesh

Sankara Eye Hospital, Anand

Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore

Sankara Eye Centre, Coimbatore

Sankara Eye Hospital Jaslok Chanrai CommunityEye Care Centre, Kanpur

Sankara Eye Hospital, Guntur

Sankara Rural Eye Hospital, Krishnan Kovil

Sankara Eye Hospital, Ludhiana

Sankara Eye Hospital, Pammal

Sankara Eye Hospital, Shimoga

Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai

Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati

Sankara Nethralaya, Kolkata

Shri Srinivasa Sankara Nethralaya, Tirupati

Synod Hospital, Aizawl

Tulsi Chanrai Eye Hospital, Nashik

MFV provides both financial and technical support to its partners to offer high quality eye care to the poor and thus, tackle avoidable blindness.

MFV and its partners work together

Strategically planning for interventions for best possible impact in communities and ensuring high quality eyecare is provided within INR 3000 (USD 50).

Creating awareness and mobilising the community.

Organising outreach camps that help identify patients in need of preventive eye treatments including surgery.

Providing patients transportation to travel to the base hospital for their treatments.

Ensuring a comprehensive ophthalmic examination & a basic health check-up is done at the base hospital.

Skilled ophthalmologists and eye surgeons treat the patients with the latest equipment and technology, providing high quality of eyecare.

Assessing impactA core part of MFV’s work on the ground

MFV directly conducts follow-up checks on select patients after they have undergone surgery.

Home visits are conducted on 10% of the patients after a 6-month gap, post-surgery to gauge the efficacy of treatment.

As a result of this unique follow-up system at MFV, we have:

67% of them going back to work allowing them to earn their livelihood.

91% of the patients gaining good visual acuity

(WHO guidelines state: 80% of the patients should fall under good category with available correction and 90% of the patients should fall under good category with best correction.)

The home visits also help MFV monitor the care taken at the patient’s home post his/ her surgery ensuring complete recovery.

MFV's partners in India screen the eyes of over 700,000 people, and perform over 180,000 free eye surgeries annually.

In the last 6 years, MFV has given the gift of sight to over 1,000,000 people, thereby restoring their independence and dignity.

The entire journey a patient undertakes from detection of their eye problem at the campsite to their travel back home, post surgery is free of cost to the patient.

At the end of the journey, our patients regain good vision. They are able to return to work, to see properly and most important to them - regain their dignity and independence.

In the words of Raghunath Powale, a sprightly 85-year-old, “I can't express my gratitude for being able to see again. Now, I don't have to depend on anyone. I manage to do all my work on my own.”

MFV's Inspirations

“I like to play sports at school,” says 11-year-old Ganesh.

Ganesh studies in the 6th grade in a hostel for rural students. He is 11 years old. A few months ago he developed a fever and was brought home.

Ganesh's parents took him to a doctor who diagnosed cataracts in both his eyes. Through an MFV supported camp, Ganesh reached Tulsi Chanrai Eye Hospital where he recently underwent surgery in one eye.

Within a month, he will have undergone surgery in his other eye too. With his sight restored, Ganesh will be back in school in no time.

In Pics: Ganesh at his first follow-up check post surgery at the campsite nearest to his home.

“If I hadn't got my sight back, how would I have earned a living? I was very worried,” said Subhash

Deshmukh

68-year-old Subhash Deshmukh lives by himself in a rented 10x10 feet room in Sinnar town, Nashik. He works in a general goods store as a daily wage worker earning barely enough for his needs.

When cataracts developed in Subhash's eyes he was very worried as deteriorating vision meant he wouldn’t be able to earn a living or take care of himself.

Subhash attended a MFV supported outreach camp and underwent surgery at Tulsi Chanrai Eye Hospital. The blurry vision became a thing of the past.

In Pics: With restored eyesight he is back at work & is happy to have regained his independence .

“I can't see clearly, it's all a bit hazy,” complained Shantabai to the social worker at the eyecare camp.

Shantabai Bhalerao, an elderly lady was diagnosed with cataract in her left eye at a MFV supported camp in Aurangabad district.

Soon, Shantabai successfully underwent sight restoring surgery at Tulsi Chanrai Eye Hospital.

She is well on the road to recovery now.

Restoring Sight

Restoring Dignity

Providing communities with quality eye care

Renewing Hope

Mission for Vision

Strengthening health systems

Arjun WaneyDasi Budhrani

Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre

Kewalram ChanraiMB ChanraiNP KripalaniSightsaversTulsi Trust

We would not have been able to reach this far without the unstinted support of:

Thank You

To support Mission for Vision contact:

/mfvindia

+ 91 22 22824967

/m4vindia

www.mfvindia.org

info@mfvindia.org

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