What TFWA Care did for... One Sight

When the world sees better, the world lives better. Yet 1.1 billion people (1 in 7) across the world, from school-aged children to the elderly in communities around the globe, have a clinical need for glasses but either cannot afford them or are unable to access an eye clinic. As a result, they are disadvantaged in learning, working, and contributing to their communities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of causes of visual impairment are preventable or curable. Existing remedies, like distribution of free "reader” glasses, offer only partial or temporary solutions. These efforts are financially unsustainable and are not customized to match patients’ prescriptions or address their full clinic needs. OneSight created a market-based solution that equips and empowers local authorities and other partners to establish self-sustaining "vision centres” within their existing healthcare systems.  From its successful OneSight Solution project in the Gambia, patients of the vision centers received an eye exam, affordable high-quality glasses that met their precise prescription and other clinical needs.  It has alleviated the vision care crisis in a community with significant educational and economic benefits and as a result:

 

  • Students will be twice as effective in school (Source: Stanford University Rural Education Action Program).
  • Employees will be 35% more productive at work and earn up to 20% more per year (Source: William Davidson Institute).
  • Local communities will expand and enhance locally-provided health services.
  • Local economies will be stimulated by new jobs and job training.
  • Countries will create a viable solution that advances citizens’ quality of life.

The OneSight solution aligns public, private, and social sector players in order to build awareness, establish value, and consistently deliver a meaningful, quality result for partners and patients. It also incorporates the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and answers the call from the WHO for cross-sector collaboration to achieve universal eye health.

Project in 2019

This year, TFWA Care will partner with OneSight and build eight additional vision centers in their current programme in Rwanda. The One Sight project enables local authorities to create "vision centres" within their existing healthcare systems by providing eye tests and quality glasses if needed.

OneSight has a market-based solution that equips and empowers local authorities and other partners to establish self-sustaining "vision centers” within their existing healthcare systems. Patients of the vision centers receive an eye exam and, if needed, locally affordable, high-quality glasses that meet their precise prescription and clinical needs.

The OneSight solution effectively and permanently solves the vision care crisis in a community, leading to significant downstream educational and economic benefits:

 

  • Children will be twice as effective in school (Source: Stanford University Rural Education Action Program)
  • Employees will be 35% more productive at work and earn up to 20% more per year (Source: William Davidson Institute)
  • Local communities will expand and enhance locally-provided health services
  • Countries will create a viable solution that advances citizens’ quality of life


OneSight has opened 95 sustainable centers in 49 countries to date, includes 26 centers in Africa. With the success of its project in Gambia also supported by TFWA Care in 2017, we will contribute to OneSight's journey to help end the vision care crisis in Africa.