$6 Eyeglasses for the Poor

VisionSpring has established a solid distribution channel for delivering eyeglasses to low-income people in rural India where 75% of the country’s population lives –the vast majority of whom are underserved. VisionSpring utilizes retrofitted vans as mobile optical stores managed by a team with diverse expertise in sales and marketing, optometry, and behavioral change communications. The VisionSpring outreach team visits each location the day before the mobile optical store arrives, creating demand by educating about the importance of proper eye care and preparing communities for the vision screening process. 

In February 2011, VisionSpring India successfully concluded our mobile optical store pilot program. During this time, Sight Care Foundation in Chennai became an active partner, providing professional training to our team of refractionists able to dispense prescription eyeglasses. In July, VisionSpring began officially incorporating prescription eye care services into the mobile optical stores. Each van is stocked with a range of pre-cut lenses, those which are most commonly prescribed. Eyeglasses are immediately assembled on board the van, allowing customers to return to work and school that same day.

Today, we have 20 mobile optical stores on the road, all of which staff a refractionist and are equipped to prescribe and sell prescription glasses on-site. A key component of our mobile optical store model is the ability to provide prescription glasses on-site within 15 minutes of the refraction.    

In 2011, VisionSpring provided over 65,400 eyeglasses to children and the working poor in rural India, screening nearly 196,000 individuals. This generated an astounding $14 million in economic growth at the base of the pyramid last year alone.    

Links:

• VisionSpring Website
• Forbes Magazine Top 30 Social Enterprises