L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) inaugurates its 200th Vision Centre

L V Prasad Eye Institute’s Primary Eye Care model covers ten million people. The ‘Vision Centre’ concept for comprehensive high quality primary eye care to the most disadvantaged populations was to realise the aspiration of creating a universal eye health model spread over four Indian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Each of these centres covers a population of 50,000 and linked to a secondary level eye centre. This integrated model of eye care delivery now covers a population of 10.0 million people and provides a gateway for a high quality eye care at all levels to everybody in this population irrespective of their ability to pay.

Located at Doultabad in Siddipet District, Telangana, the 200th Vision Centre is one of the LVPEI’s Futuristic Vision Centres. In addition to providing primary eye care services, it is equipped with state-of-the-art ophthalmic diagnostic equipment to detect and diagnose sight-threatening conditions related to glaucoma and retina. It also provides care through tele-ophthalmology that helps patients to receive advanced eye care closer to their doorsteps.

The financial support initially started with Sightsavers but all the scaling up was made possible by major grants from Lavelle Fund of New York, LDS Charities of Salt Lake City, USA and more recently by Standard Chartered Bank’s ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme, Mission for Vision and Wen Giving Foundation. Other contributors included OneSight Foundation, TOMS through SEVA Foundation, Operation Eyesight Universal and a number of local community supporters in the form of donating space for the centre as well as development of the vision centre.