Building eyecare from the inside out
Grantees: Charis Vision and Health Mission
Each year, donations to Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) enable us to issue grants to fund projects globally that provide immediate eye care to those in need today, and expand optometry so vision care is available for years to come.
Optometry Giving Sight awarded a grant to Charis Vision and Health Mission, in partnership with Arthur Jarvis University, to strengthen optometry education and expand access to eye care in Akpabuyo, Cross River State, Nigeria. The project equips the University’s optometry clinic with modern diagnostic technology, supports student training through hands-on clinical experience, and brings eye care directly to communities that have had little access to it.
In its first year, the project has moved quickly from setup to impact. Nearly 400 people have been screened across campus, local markets, and community health centres — 77 of whom received free glasses, and 59 of whom were referred for further treatment including cataract and pterygium surgery. Optometry students have been central to every step, conducting screenings and community outreach under the supervision of senior lecturers. On World Glaucoma Week, they visited a busy local market to educate traders and residents on the dangers of a disease that takes sight without warning. On World Optometry Day, three students represented the project in a live radio broadcast reaching audiences across Calabar and beyond.
The clinic is now fully operational, with a dedicated power supply ensuring uninterrupted care. A permanent plaque at the entrance acknowledges OGS as the funding partner — a small detail that speaks to something larger: the beginning of a lasting institution.
By investing in this life-changing work, we are helping to build a future where quality eye care is not a one-time gift, but a lasting, local reality that the community owns and sustains. Your donations make a difference now and into the future.