Awarded governments will make vision screening, specialist referral and reading glasses part of the health services people already use
Antigua and Barbuda, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 2 billion people globally live with vision impairment. For 1 billion of them, their sight loss is entirely preventable or treatable, but basic eye care is often unaffordable or inaccessible. Announced today, Vision Action Fund is committing a minimum of $10 million in multi-year catalytic funding to 24 governments to integrate near-vision services and basic eye care into their healthcare systems and expand access to eyeglasses. The Global Vision Impact Awards were presented at the Global Summit for Eye Health by Vision Action Fund and Vital Strategies.
"Integrating basic eye health services into community health and primary healthcare ensures people get the continuity of care they need throughout their lives," said?Abigail Steinberg, Executive Director, Vision Action Fund. "Our gratitude to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and World Health Organization for hosting the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health and for your foundational and unwavering dedication to bring eye health to everyone, everywhere."
The awarded governments include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madhya Pradesh (India), Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia.
"I am encouraged by the commitment governments are making to improving access to essential eye care, and what this will mean for millions of people whose livelihoods and quality of life depend on clear vision," said Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, President and CEO, Vital Strategies. "By integrating basic eye care into primary health care, including routine screening for conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, governments can reach more people, identify vision problems earlier, and expand access to affordable solutions. We are proud to work alongside Vision Action Fund in partnership with governments to strengthen the policies and systems needed to make these commitments a sustainable reality."
Costing less than US$1 to make, reading glasses can increase personal income up to 33%, but policy and regulatory barriers deny access to hundreds of millions. The Global Vision Impact Awards operate in two phases. In the first, governments enact policies that expand access to primary eye care, such as: authorizing over-the-counter sales of reading glasses; expanding the network of primary and community health workers who can screen, refer, and dispense reading glasses; and eliminating tariffs and taxes on glasses.
In the second phase, countries scale up implementation nationally. The Vision Action Fund and partners will provide additional support and a supply of reading glasses for people living with age-related near-vision loss, or presbyopia. Once these strategies scale, governments could reach more than 100 million people and unlock tens of billions in economic productivity.
"For millions of Nigerians, including an estimated 25 million with presbyopia, eye screening and reading glasses will soon be within reach at their local point of care," said the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako. "Nigeria's Presidential Initiative has already provided reading glasses to more than 1 million people through primary healthcare channels, and we commit to expanding our reach to 3 million more people over the next 3 years. We are grateful for The Global Vision Impact Award, which recognizes this momentum and partners with us to expand even further, bringing screening, referral, and reading glasses to the last mile. With this initiative, we are demonstrating to the world an effective model for delivering primary eye care at scale."
"We must make eye health part of everyday health care, everywhere," said Peter Holland, CEO, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. "That's why we are proud to convene the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health to transform the way the world sees the value of vision. We commend the governments who have made the social, economic and health commitments to build a world where millions of people have access to quality eye care. Together, they demonstrate growing recognition that investing in eye health is an investment in human potential, economic growth, and sustainable development."
Vision Action Fund partners with Vital Strategies and national and local governments in the awarded countries to integrate eye care into community-level services, streamline retail access to reading glasses, and align policies with the?WHO's SPECS 2030 targets, which call for a 40 percentage-point increase in effective refractive error coverage by 2030.
Learn more about the Global Vision Impact Awards HERE
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About Vision Action Fund
Vision Action Fund is working to expand access to basic eye care and make reading glasses a routine, self-sustaining part of life across low- and middle-income countries. Incubated by the Livelihood Impact Fund, we partner with governments, health systems, community-based networks, and private markets to unlock investment, drive systems change, and help restore tens of millions of adults' livelihoods, income, and independence. Visit www.visionactionfund.org and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Vital Strategies?
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by an equitable and effective public health system. We work with governments, communities and organizations around the world to reimagine public health so that health is supported in all the places we live, work and play. The result is millions of people living longer, healthier lives.?
To find out more, please visit?www.vitalstrategies.org?or?follow us on LinkedIn.
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Ally Davis Vital Strategies +15162054203 adavis@vitalstrategies.org Vision Action Fund VAF@Lifund.org
