SAN FRANCISCO—RestoringVision, a global nonprofit provider of new reading glasses to people living in impoverished communities, has been awarded a $4 million grant from Founders Pledge, a global nonprofit that empowers entrepreneurs to do the most good possible with their charitable giving, to address presbyopia at scale in India and Nigeria. RestoringVision said this investment will allow it to implement three large-scale initiatives with its partners to provide reading glasses to 2.5 million people living in poverty with uncorrected presbyopia.

The organization aims to increase income potential, alleviate poverty, and foster sustained impact in India and Nigeria, two of the largest countries in the world, by increasing access to vision screening and reading glasses.

The programs will include the following:

India: RestoringVision will collaborate with Supreme Task India, an NGO focused on access to affordable health care, to provide 500,000 adults aged 35-65 working in visually intensive occupations in Odisha state, one of the poorest states in India, with vision screenings and reading glasses. These adults will include tailors, weavers, mechanics, carpenter and farmers, among others, to enable them to see clearly and continue their work. 

Nigeria: Two million people will receive vision screenings and reading glasses in Nigeria through two initiatives to scale access to clear sight. This will be the largest contribution to date to advance the Nigerian Presidential Initiative that aims to reach five million Nigerians with glasses over the next several years. RestoringVision will work with the government of Nigeria’s National Eye Health Programme, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and other partners to supply one million reading glasses for programs reaching people living in poverty with presbyopia, and provide technical support to help this initiative succeed. 

In addition, RestoringVision will partner with the Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN) to provide vision screenings and reading glasses to one million adults engaged in visually intensive occupations. The program will leverage Nigeria’s faith-based health systems, utilizing CHAN’s nationwide network of faith-based hospitals, clinics and community outreach organizations, in collaboration with faith leaders from Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim communities.

This program is part of the Africa Clear Sight Partnership, a regional collaboration co-created by RestoringVision and the Africa Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP). RestoringVision said the far-reaching initiatives in Nigeria will support insights into how to address presbyopia at scale in a large country and inform how we can solve the vision crisis globally.

By partnering with national and local organizations and leveraging their existing networks, RestoringVision’s model is consistent with the World Health Organization’s recommendation to address presbyopia at the community and primary level.

Pelin Munis, Ph.D., CEO of RestoringVision, said, “Thanks to this transformative grant from Founders Pledge, we are thrilled to be able to scale up our presbyopia programs in India and Nigeria so that more people will be able to see clearly. This grant not only enables us to reach millions more people with the gift of clear sight but also fosters a broader global community of changemakers dedicated to creating a world where everyone who needs glasses has them. It is taking us a significant step forward toward solving the global vision crisis.”