C2020 - Seva Foundation

Since 1978, Seva has provided sight-saving surgeries, eyeglasses, medicine, and other eye care services to 64 million people in under-served communities.

Sadly, the need for vision care continues to grow. By 2050, the overall number of visually impaired people is projected to triple. To keep pace with the demand for eye care, we have launched a new campaign – C20/20.

C20/20 will grow our impact in four key areas:

Vision Centers

Through C20/20, Seva plans to fund more than 140 new vision centers, with the capacity to reach an additional 4 million people around the world. A Vision Center is a permanent, physical local center that is equipped to meet 80% of all eye care needs, and refer patients who require more advanced care to nearby hospitals. These Vision Centers also expand job opportunities for community members, thereby supporting economic growth.

Eye Care for Children

We also aim to provide comprehensive eye care to more than 3 million children worldwide. Undiagnosed vision impairment in children affects not only their social development and health but also limits their opportunities in life. Timely diagnosis is the key to preventing and managing blindness and visual impairment in children. Seva prioritizes comprehensive eye care for children – from screening and early identification of eye care needs to referral, provision of care, and long-term follow-up. Our programs are embedded in schools and local communities to efficiently deliver comprehensive eye care to the next generation.

Technology

We will bring the best in technology to the hardest to reach communities across the globe. Telemedicine increases patients’ access to care by breaking down geographical distance as a barrier. Digitized medical records allow for better data collection and analysis in order to make informed decisions, detect diseases earlier, and increase clinic productivity and sustainability. Seva is actively pursuing solutions like low-cost diagnostic devices that enable community health workers to detect blinding or even life-threatening conditions. We are working to create affordable access to key medication, starting with those required to control diabetic retinopathy and adult macular degeneration.

Training & Job Creation

We expect to train thousands of vision care professionals and paraprofessionals, create jobs for them and help them sustainably provide critical services to their home communities. We rapidly scale the instruction and utilization of ophthalmic support staff so that they can take care of basic eye care needs, allowing ophthalmologists to focus on more advanced and complex conditions. We improve service delivery by mentoring teams of eye health providers for design, management, research, and implementation of eye care programs. These programs help create jobs for individuals who go on to have a multifold impact on the community.