Eye Mitras reach milestone achievement
Eye Mitras reach milestone achievement

Eye Mitras reach milestone achievement

Essilor’s 2.5 New Vision Generation (2.5 NVG) inclusive business has equipped more than 10 million people from underserved populations in India with glasses and through its Eye Mitra programme has provided over 200 million people with sustainable access to vision care.

Eye Mitra (friend of the eyes), the world’s largest rural optical network, is one of the leading contributors to this milestone.

This announcement confirms 2.5 NVG’s significant impact towards Essilor's ambition to eradicate poor vision by 2050. To celebrate this significant achievement, Eye Mitras from across India came together to celebrate and share their learning’s to help each other to develop and grow. The congregation focused on innovation and digitalisation that will help to equip millions more living in rural areas.

Uncorrected vision affects over 2.5 billion people and has an estimated economic and social impact of $272 billion per year*.

The Eye Mitra programme works with unemployed and underemployed young people in rural communities to help train, build skills and promote livelihoods. Eye Mitras offer vision care, by conducting vision screenings and dispensing affordable spectacles, to areas where it was not available before.

The success in India has led to an expansion of the Eye Mitra programme across the world in countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia and also in Kenya where it is known as Eye Rafiki. There are now nearly 12,000 primary vision care providers globally.

Essilor established 2.5 NVG in 2013, to create awareness, develop infrastructure and bring affordable eye care to low income countries. For more information, please visit www.essilorseechange.com

* 2017 figure

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