A community-based primary eye care campaign by India Vision Institute (IVI), supported by General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) under their CSR initiative, has helped improve access to vision screening and corrective spectacles for fishing communities in and around Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Thiru A Srinath, visited IVI’s eye camp at Kasimedu yesterday and distributed free spectacles to beneficiaries. IVI CEO Vinod Daniel was present at the camp.
The campaign conducted vision screening camps across coastal communities, helping identify refractive errors, cataracts and other eye conditions among people who often face barriers in accessing eye health services.
Under the project, 6,602 members of fishing communities underwent vision screening. Of these, 3,907 beneficiaries received free corrective spectacles, enabling them to carry out daily tasks, livelihood activities and household responsibilities with greater comfort, safety and confidence. Those identified with cataracts were referred to hospitals for further evaluation and treatment.
Mr Daniel said, “For fisherfolk, clear vision is closely linked to livelihood, mobility and safety. They rely on good eyesight for safe navigation at sea, handling nets and fishing equipment, sorting catch, and managing everyday responsibilities. Through this campaign, we were able to identify a large number of people with cataracts and other eye conditions, and refer them for further medical examination.”
“This initiative enabled us to take primary eye care closer to fishing communities and ensure that thousands of people received the support they needed. We thank the Hon’ble Minister for visiting the camp and are grateful to GIC Re for supporting an initiative that has brought practical and measurable change to underserved coastal communities,” he added.
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