B. Improving the lives and productivity of artisans, weavers and their households in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, and Punjab through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses.
The objective of the projects was to reach out to 36,843 artisans, weavers, and their households in the artisans and weavers’ clusters of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli in Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana through eye-screenings and distribute 19,298 eyeglasses to those who require, as well as includes the referral of cataract and other complex eye disease cases to nearby hospitals for further diagnosis and potential treatment.
During the period of 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023, 36,843 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli in Assam, Jaipur, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan were screened for vision and 19,298 eyeglasses were provided to those who required them and those with complex eye diseases were referred to the Government/other hospitals in the area for further diagnosis and treatment. This program was in collaboration with:
1. Village Care Society, Nagpur (Maharashtra)
2. Sanjay Mane Foundation, Surat (Gujarat)
3. Shree Sai Kala Krida Sanskrutik Mandal, Kolhapur (Maharashtra)
4. SNEHPAD, Jorhat, Golaghat, and Majuli (Assam)
5. Jaipur Rugs Foundation, Jaipur, and Bikaner (Rajasthan) and Mirjapur (Uttar Pradesh)
6.Delek Hospital, Mcleodganj (Himachal Pradesh)
7.Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan Culture, Mcleodganj (Himachal Pradesh)
8.Mehar Chand Mahajan Charitable Trust, Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh)
9. The Patiala Handicraft Workshop Cooperative Industrial Society in collaboration with Rotary Weavers, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab
Eye-Screening Statistics: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
1.Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 36,843 weavers, artisans, spinners and their households in the weaver and artisan clusters of Rajasthan, Haryana, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jaipur, Maharashtra in India, among them 51% (n = 18768) were males and 49% (n = 18,073) were females.
2.Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 64% (n = 23,417) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3.Referrals made for the screened population: 13% (n = 46,90) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 66% (n = 3,115) identified with suspected cataract and 34% (n = 1,575) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centres.
4.Eyeglasses distribution: 82% (n = 19,298) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 52% (n = 9,944) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 39% (n = 7,481) and Pre-Cuts: 9% (n = 1,873).
5.First Time Wearers (FTWs): 87% (n = 16,787) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye screening camps.
6.Post-coverage rate in the population was 82%.
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) Activity Report: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
Mission
To provide eye-screening, primary eye-care services, and eye-health advice to the people at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.
Current Scenario
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, more than 700 million people in the developing world struggle with poor life quality due to bad eyesight. It is estimated that uncorrected vision results in $227 billion in lost productivity to the global economy. In India alone, an estimated 550 million (55 Crore) people require eyeglasses for vision correction. Blurry vision compromises one’s ability to work effectively, to read and learn in school, and to navigate surroundings with ease and safety. For many living in developing countries suffering from vision loss, a pair of eyeglasses could mean the difference between opportunity and loss of income and quality of life.
Activities
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) is an NGO (not-for-profit) that does eye screening for the poor people, provides primary eye-care services, and eye health advice with FCRA Registration Number: 231661855. VSF also has the facility of providing eyeglasses to those who need them. VSF conducts community outreach activities and free eye-screening camps. The mobile eyecare units (vans) go to the remote interiors and provide last mile vision-care services to the poor. VSF also provides eye-care/eye-health advice centres and refers patients with complex eye diseases (such as cataract, etc.) to the nearest eye hospital. VSF helps change the lives of the poor people in India by aiding in restoring their vision.
VisionSpring Foundation (VSF) received a grant amount from 1st January 2020 to 30th June 2023 as per the table below:
Testimonial:
Name: Rajneesh Kumar
Gender: Male
Age: 41
Occupation: Weaver
Location: Haryana
Rajneesh registered himself for the eye- screening as was struggling to work with his tools at a near distance and identifying the threads while weaving. The major hurdle was to work with different coloured threads in the power loom machine as per the required design. He was provided with pair of eyeglasses and after wearing them, his productivity increased, and he was promoted along with additional incentives.
Testimonial: Norbulingka Monastery, Himachal Pradesh
Name: Bhumi Kripa
Gender: Female
Age: 37
Occupation: Librarian
Location: Norbulingka Monastery, Himachal Pradesh
Bhumi was not able to read text messages which made it difficult for her to read books and its names and was struggling to keep records and make transactions as they required careful inspection of the documents at hand which has been taking extra time. After getting herself registered for eye-screening she was provided with pair of reading eyeglasses. She felt the difference as the strain decreased and her ability to read was clear. She expressed her gratitude towards the VisionSpring Foundation team for organising the eye screening at remote location and providing with a pair of affordable, good- quality and comfortable eyeglasses.
E. Improving the lives and educational outcomes of children through the provision of eyeglasses.
Locations: Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi in India.
VisionSpring Foundation collaborated with multiple mission-aligned organisations/bodies such as Aroh Foundation in Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Varitra Foundation in Karnal (Haryana), Kalgidhar Trust in Sangrur, Mukhtsar, Mansa, and Mogha (Punjab) and Fatehabad (Haryana), Government of Uttar Pradesh, Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Rotary International (Across India), and Mehar Chand Trust in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh).
VSF conducted eye-screenings of 70,197 children and provided 13,075 eyeglasses from April 2023 to June 2023. These eyeglasses helped children to see clearly and improved learning outcomes by 70%. It helped children to participate in school and contribute in building their future bright.
Eye-Screening Statistics: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
1. Distribution of children screened: Screened 70,197 children in various states of India.
2. Eyeglasses distribution: 13,075 eyeglasses were distributed to the children who had refractive error.
3. First Time Wearers (FTWs): Out of 13,075 eyeglasses distributed to the children, 7891 were the first-time eyeglasses wearers.
Testimonial: Clear Vision Punjab
Name: Raghubir Singh
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Occupation: Farmer
Location: Dingrian, Punjab
Raghubir registered himself for eye-screening outreach program as he was facing difficulties to read text labels on the packets of fertilisers and pesticides. This has often led to mixing them up resulting a loss in his crops and income. VSF team provided him a pair of eyeglasses which helped to see clearly and increase his productivity.
D. Improving the quality of lives and productivity of the factory workers including improved workplace safety by conducting the Clear Vision Workplaces program in the factories in India, through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
Background and Scope:
VisionSpring Foundation’s Clear Vision Workplace program is designed to increase the coverage of vision screening and eyeglass wearing for working-age adults in India. Teams work with brands, national factory associations and individual factory management teams to integrate into the workplace regular eye-screening and increase workers’ access to high quality, affordable eyeglasses.
Eye-Screening Statistics: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 2,326 factory workers in the factories of JLN Phenix Energy in Bengaluru (Karnataka), Modelama Exports in Gurugram (Haryana), Texport Industries Bengaluru (Karnataka), and Delek Hospital in Kirti Monastery, Gyuto Tantric Monastery, Namgyal Monastery School and Surya Uday Charitable Trust in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), out of which 47% (1,104) were males and 53% (1,222) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 47% ( n= 1,090) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3. Referrals made for the screened population: 4% (n = 103) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 15% (n = 16) identified with suspected cataract and 85% (n = 87) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centres.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 89% (n = 967) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 43% (n = 472), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 46% (n = 445) and Pre-Cuts: 5% (n = 50).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 93% (n = 901) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 89%.
Testimonials: Mokalbari Kanoi Tea Estate
Name: Ajay Muraji
Gender: 38
Age: Male
Occupation: Tea Picker
Location: Mokalbari, Assam
Ajay registered himself for eye-screening for both near sightedness and farsightedness and he was provided with the pair of reading eyeglasses. He mentioned that with the help of VSF eyeglasses the strain in his eyes was reduce. With eyeglasses, his accuracy to label the right kind of tea leaves increased and was able to process the final products within the given timeframe giving him an opportunity to earn an extra income.
Testimonials: B&A, Rotary
Name: Rupshika Gogoi
Gender: Female
Age: 48 Years
Occupation: Tea Picker
Location: Jorhat, Assam
Rupshika was examined by the optometrist and got a pair of eyeglasses for her vision. She was facing issues while sorting the right kind of tea leaves and not being able to identify them. This was affecting her productivity and ultimately bringing in less finance for her family. After wearing VSF eyeglasses she was grateful to the VSF team, as it helped her delivering her day-to-day activities especially at the workplace. She was grateful to the entire VSF team who assisted her during the whole process of eye screening.
Testimonials: Bagasa Plantations
Name: Sushila Parmika
Gender: Female
Age: 47 Years
Occupation: Tea Picker
Location: Dubba Tea Estate, Sibsagar, Assam
Shushila registered herself for eye-screening and was handed over a pair of eyeglasses. She witnessed the difference in her vision as it was better. She was able to pluck the right kind of tea leaves and deliver the required number of kilos by the end of the day. This boosted her confidence in taking up additional workload which would bring in more income for her family.
Programs/Projects Undertaken between 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023:
A. Improving the lives and productivity of Tea tribes (tea garden workers and their families/dependents) through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses, in association with the Tea Estates in Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
Background and Scope:
During the period of 1st April 2023 till 30th June 2023, a total of 28,401 tea tribes and their households in the tea estates of Assam and Himachal Pradesh, India were screened and 13, 342 eyeglasses were provided to those who required them and those with complex eye diseases were referred to the Government/other hospitals in the area for further diagnosis and treatment. This program was conducted in collaboration with the following:
1,Tea garden workers and their families/dependents located in following locations of India:
*Mokalbari Kanoi Tea Estate, Dibrugarh (Assam)
*Assam Company India, Doomur and Dullung (Assam)
*B&A, Jorhat, Golaghat, and Sibsagar (Assam)
*Goneshbari Tea Company, Dibrugarh (Assam)
*Jalpaiguri Small Tea Growers Association, Dooars (North Bengal)
*Kamakhyabari Tea Company Assam, Dibrugarh (Assam)
*Mehar Chand Mahajan Charitable Trust, Kangra (Himachal Pradesh)
*Rossell Tea, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Golaghat, and Bakfa (Assam)
*Bagasa Plantations, Kaliabor, Nagaon, Dubba, Sibsaghar, Halmiramook, and Golaghat (Assam)
2. Coffee workers and their families/dependents located in following locations of Kerala, India:
*Fair Trade Alliance, Wayanad and Kozhikode Districts.
Eye-Screening Statistics: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
1.Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 28,401 tea pickers and their households in the tea estates of Assam and Himachal Pradesh, India, among them 47% (n = 13,349) were males and 53% (n = 15,052) were females.
2.Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 55% (n = 15,639) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3.Referrals made for the screened population: 10% (n = 2,843) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 64% (n = 1,814) identified with suspected cataract and 36% (n = 1,029) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centres.
4.Eyeglasses distribution: 85% (n = 13,342) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses; Reading Glasses: 60% (n = 7,973), Pre-cuts 8% (n = 1,131) and Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 32% (n = 4,238).
5.First Time Wearers (FTWs): 12% (n = 752) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye screening camps.
6.Post-coverage rate in the population was 85%.
Testimonials: Jaipur Rugs Foundation
Name: Soni Devi
Gender: Female
Age: 48
Occupation: Carpet Weaver
Location: Tigariya, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Soni has been facing a lot of trouble while hand weaving intricate details with fine threads and had to redo it due to her foggy vision. She registered herself for eye-screening and was provided a pair of eyeglasses. After wearing VSF eyeglasses, she witnessed the difference in her vision and how clearly, she was able to thread the needles comfortably and complete the given tasks on time.
Testimonials: Mehar Chand Mahajan Charitable Trust
Name: Sanjana Devi Singh
Gender: Female
Age: 36
Occupation: Tailor
Location: Himachal Pradesh
Sanjana registered herself for eye-screening and she was facing issues while working on garments having very precise and detailed stitching. She also needed extra time to complete her projects and often get stuck in redoing the same product repeatedly. This reduced the number of finished products handed over by her which affected the daily wage she earned which was relative to the number of finished products approved out of the submitted ones for the day. After wearing VSF eyeglasses, she was able to see clearly and perform her task with efficiency.
C. Improving the lives and productivity of the community members and their households in Punjab through COVID safe eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses, in association with Clear Vision Punjab
Background and Scope
Clear Vision Punjab: Increasing productivity of people by restoring vision through eye-screenings and provision of eyeglasses
The objective of Clear Vision Punjab is to touch 1 million in Punjab and in Chandigarh, India through eye-screening. Eyeglasses would be provided to them who require them.
During the period of 17th April 2023 to 30th June 2023, 4,384 community members and their families, in various locations in Amritsar district, Punjab, India were screened for vision and eyeglasses were provided to those who required them and those with complex eye diseases were referred to the Government/other hospitals in the area for further diagnosis and treatment.
Eye-Screening Statistics: 1st April 2023 to 30th June 2023
1. Distribution of people screened: Screened a total of 4,384 community members and their families in various location in Amritsar district, Punjab, India, among them 39% (n = 1,716) were males and 61% (n = 2,668) were females.
2. Refractive error (poor vision) rate among the screened population: 67% (n=2,950) of all the screened individuals identified with refractive error/presbyopia.
3.Referrals made for the screened population: 13% (n = 579) have been referred to the hospitals out of whom 84% (n=483) identified with suspected cataract and 16% (n=96) identified with other complex eye diseases had been referred for further diagnosis to tertiary care hospitals and/or community health centers.
4. Eyeglasses distribution: 73% (n = 2,137) of all population identified with refractive error/presbyopia received eyeglasses.
Reading Glasses: 37% (n = 799), Prescription (Rx) Glasses: 52% (n = 1,103) and Pre-Cuts: 11% (n = 235).
5. First Time Wearers (FTWs): 83% (n=1,762) of the people who received their eyeglasses got their first ever pair of eyeglasses through the eye-screening camps.
6. Post-coverage rate in the population was 73%.
Please Note: 4,384 eye-screenings were done during the period of 1 April 2023 till 30 June 2023 and 2,137 eyeglasses have been distributed/dispensed. The project is ongoing and would get completed in December 2023.
Testimonial:
Name: Prajwal Kiran Kohi
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Occupation: Student
Prajwal was screened and provided a pair of eyeglasses. After wearing eyeglasses, he was able to see numbers and words clearly on the blackboard. He felt confident and was delighted with different color frames to choose from.