Lenskart Foundation aims to open 100-150 Child Eye Care Centres

The statistics for eye care in India is appalling. Over 53% of Indians have vision problems and require prescription glasses. In addition, there is only one optometrist for every 1.15 lakh Indians. Refractive error-based blindness has a variety of implications, such as making it difficult to pursue education, which reduces economic output. The 2020-founded Lenskart Foundation was created with the basic and straightforward mission of enabling access to eye care services and eradicating refractive error-based blindness in India. Blindness and vision impairment can be prevented in 80% of cases. Furthermore, children’s education and development are significantly impacted by vision impairment. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize and concentrate on children in order to safeguard their future. 
 
The Foundation is supported by Nidhi Mittal Bansal, its chairman, and her vision and tenacity. 
 
The Foundation recently opened its fourth Lenskart Foundation Child Eye Care Center in Sanjay Colony, South Delhi, to pursue its goals. This institution, which is situated in one of Delhi‘s largest and oldest slums, ahead of the Bhatti Mines neighbourhood, will be able to assist close to 5,500 children and provide eye exams to a population of over 23,000 poor people. The centre would offer rapid aid and keep a look out for any additional decline in vision. 
 
Chairperson Nidhi Mittal Bansal spoke at the event and stated, “We believe this is a tremendous opportunity for us to make a difference in this colony because there is currently no accessible eye-care facility within a roughly 30-km radius. This is the fourth minor step we’ve taken to ensure that every Indian has access to eye exams and corrective lenses. We seek to lower the current 25 percent school dropout rate, with a special and urgent focus on youngsters. The facility is set up to assess both adults and their children.

Lenskart Foundation

Chairperson Nidhi Mittal Bansal spoke at the event and stated, “We believe this is a tremendous opportunity for us to make a difference in this colony because there is currently no accessible eye-care facility within a roughly 30-km radius. This is the fourth minor step we’ve taken to ensure that every Indian has access to eye exams and corrective lenses. We seek to lower the current 25 percent school dropout rate, with a special and urgent focus on youngsters. The facility is set up to assess both adults and their children. 
 
In the following two years, “We want to open 100 to 150 Child Eye Care Centers, providing access to eye care and corrective spectacles, if necessary, to everyone within a 4-kilometer radius.” Added she. 
 
The Foundation is actively pursuing a three-pronged approach—awareness, accessibility, and advocacy—to meet its goals. Both awareness of vision correction and accessibility to eye care facilities are currently low throughout much of the country. Through its centres, the Foundation plans to strive toward both objectives while also promoting the inclusion of vision correction in government programmes. All of these actions are ultimately intended to remove the shadow of the past and look ahead to a better future.