VisionSpring

This week, our Resource Mobilisation Manager for Africa, Lee Aguko, will be in Addis Ababa for this year's East Africa Philanthropy Network Conference.

For the millions of people we serve, a pair of glasses means the difference between a day's work done well and one lost to blur.

Lee will be there making the case for eye care to philanthropic partners, impact investors, and development agencies who can help us scale it.

📩 If you're attending hashtag , we'd love to connect! Reach out to [email protected]

Companies are spending billions on AI to boost productivity.

💡 A 700-year-old technology is already doing it for just a few dollars.

In a recently published World Economic Forum op-ed, our CEO Ella Gudwin and James Chen, founder of Clearly World and Chair of The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, make the case for reading glasses as perhaps the most overlooked productivity tool in our global economy.

They draw on research and evidence we've been building for over a decade to prove that this intervention works:

👚 For example, our latest randomised controlled trial, PROSPER II, found that one in four sewing machine operators had poor near vision and no glasses. Correcting their vision boosted productivity by 6% — a potential $27 billion in additional annual output for the global garment industry.

"In our search for the next productivity breakthrough, we do not always need to invent something new," write Ella and James. "Sometimes, the most impactful innovation is to fully utilise the technology that we already have."

With ‼️1.1 billion people‼️ living with avoidable sight loss and $447 billion lost in global productivity every year, the opportunity for change is hiding in plain sight.

👉🏼 Read the op-ed here: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/05/how-a-700-year-old-technology-can-boost-productivity-and-transform-lives/

Last week’s IAPB's IN SIGHT LIVE 2030 was a rallying cry for the eye health sector. The conference – its 5th and largest – anchored the critical shift from 🗣️ ideas and awareness toward 🖇️ integration, 📋acceleration, and 📈scale.

Our delegation represented Programs, MarCom, MERL, Institutional Partnerships, and the Africa and Bangladesh regions. Between participating as plenary panelists, rapid-fire presenters, and masterclass facilitators, Team VisionSpring also hosted a session to launch our CatalEYES approach alongside key changemakers from Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.

Some of the key insights we took away from the conference:

🖇️ Integration: To truly scale eye health, interventions must be embedded into primary healthcare systems, universal health coverage strategies, and community networks.

💸 Economic impact & livelihoods: The sector is fully embracing that eyeglasses are not simply a health intervention — they’re an economic intervention that unlocks productivity, learning, safety, livelihoods, and opportunity.

🤖 Technology & AI: From frontline diagnostics to digital platforms and AI-enabled workflows, technology is accelerating our ability to expand reach, efficiency, and decision-making at scale.

📊 Making the Case: In preparation for November’s Global Summit, and with the recent launch of IAPB’s Value of Vision report, there was a strong sense of urgency around communicating the investment case and securing government commitment to advance national eye health agendas.

🫱🏾‍🫲🏻Collaboration: Achieving universal access to eye care requires organizations with different capabilities to work together intentionally, pragmatically, and at scale.

The momentum across the conference demonstrated the confidence that universal access to eye care is within reach, within our lifetime.

👓 At VisionSpring, we continue to advance this mission by accelerating access to eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty — through integration, collaboration, technology, evidence generation, and market-based approaches that strengthen livelihoods and economic resilience.

Congratulations to VISION 2020/IAPB, The Ministry of Health, Radisson Blu and everyone who helped execute such an inspiring and energizing event.

📆 Onward to the Global Summit for Eye Health in Antigua & Barbuda in November!

👓 What if the fastest way to better vision wasn't through a health facility at all?

In a recent article in The Telegraph, Ben Farmer highlights our partnership with faith-based organizations in Zambia, Uganda, and Malawi, where we train church leaders and volunteers to screen their congregations and dispense affordable reading glasses through trusted community systems.

💜 For the cost of a £2 pair of specs, the Church of Uganda, The Council of Churches in Zambia, and the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Malawi and Zambia are transforming lives.

“We feel so blessed when we see the effect,” said Reverend Robert Mayambala Tendo, a vicar in Uganda. “After screening, many people can suddenly read their Bibles — and they can go out and do business in their communities, which increases their productivity as well.”

It's estimated that two-thirds of people in low-income countries who need glasses cannot access them. That gap is what drives CatalEYES, our training and technical assistance model designed to help organisations integrate near vision screening and reading glasses into existing community-based programs.

Whether it's community health workers, pharmacies, or churches, the goal is to make vision care part of what they already do.

👏🏾 The solution is already in the community — it just needs to be activated.

Click on the link in the comments below to read the article!

🇰🇪 Next week, Team VisionSpring is in Nairobi for VISION 2020/IAPB’s 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE! We’re joining global leaders and changemakers to explore how we can guarantee universal eye health.

A key focus this year is CatalEYES: our training and technical assistance platform designed to help any organisation easily integrate near vision screening and glasses into their existing community-based programs.

📆 Don't miss us on Thursday, June 4 at 2:45 PM for our session�"How Do We Reach 827 Million? Scaling Presbyopia Correction in and Beyond Eye Care.”
🔗 Register for the session here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyqn7SqVZCGjZobQ36cT_z_vKvLsrWp_Wz-kNhZua8pDokbQ/viewform

You can also catch our team at these sessions. They’ll share what they've learned about scaling access to vision care, forging cross-sector partnerships, and gathering evidence for change.

🎤 Friday, June 5 | 1:45 PM�
Anne Coolen, Chief Impact Officer “Implementation for Scale: Methods That Support Adaptation and Momentum”

🎤 Friday, June 5 | 3:15 PM�
Adebowale Alfred Adekunle, Global Data and Reporting Lead “Investing in Leadership: Making Space for New Voices and Capabilities”

🎤 Friday, June 5 | 3:15 PM�
Dr. Sonia Pant, Associate Director of Global Research and Evaluation “Action Café: Rapid Fire Presentations Session 3” — presenting findings from PROSPER II, our latest randomised controlled trial.

🎤 Saturday, June 6 | 1:45 PM�
Gabriel Ogunyemi, Africa Regional Director “Six Accelerators, One System: Unlocking Investment to Scale Eye Care by 2030”

📩 If you're attending, we'd love to connect! Reach us at [email protected]

See you soon!

🇰🇪 We’re in Nairobi next week at VISION 2020/IAPB’s 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE!

📆 Join us on Thursday, June 4, at 2:45 PM for our session “How Do We Reach 827 Million? Scaling Presbyopia Correction In and Beyond Eye Care.”

We’ll be introducing CatalEYES: our training and technical assistance platform designed to help any organisation integrate near vision screening and reading glasses into existing community-based programs.

🤔 Why does this matter? More than 800 million people worldwide are living with uncorrected presbyopia - making everyday tasks like reading, working, community participation, and family care more difficult.

Together, we’ll explore what it takes to task-share vision screening and eyeglasses through trusted systems like churches, pharmacies and primary health centers, and how cross-sector collaboration can help us close the clear vision gap in our lifetimes.

🎤 We’re honored to be joined by:
Rev. Ackson Banda from the Council of Churches Zambia
Dr. Okolo Oteri Eme from Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health
Wintana Belai of Maisha Meds
Abigail Steinberg from Livelihood Impact Fund

🔗 Register for the session here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyqn7SqVZCGjZobQ36cT_z_vKvLsrWp_Wz-kNhZua8pDokbQ/viewform

📩 We’re excited to see you there! If you’d like to connect, reach us at [email protected]

🎉 We're excited to welcome our new Global Director of Supply Chain, Duncan Mutulu!

With over 20 years of experience, Duncan has led supply chains across Africa and beyond. At Bayer Crop Science, he oversaw end-to-end operations across 20 countries, supporting the growth of seed and crop protection portfolios.

Before that, he held senior roles at Monsanto, Henkel, and Nestlé, managing logistics and procurement portfolios of up to $62 million.

🎓 Duncan is also a PhD candidate in Business and an MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management. He has published academic research on supply chain design.

We're thrilled to have him bring his expertise in global sourcing and large-scale transformations to ensure we get eyeglasses to the people who need them most.

💜 Join us in welcoming Duncan to the team.

See well. Do well.

Did you know that people with vision impairment are nearly 50% more likely to be involved in a traffic crash in low- and middle-income countries?

👓 But a pair of eyeglasses can change that.

Our program brings together transport authorities, government agencies, private donors, and companies around the world.

🚗 Through vision screenings and eyeglasses for commercial drivers and transport workers, we're making sure that seeing clearly isn't just good for drivers — it's good for everyone on the road.

🗣️ Our Chief Impact Officer Anne Coolen is in Geneva this week for the World Health Assembly!

She'll be joining vision health leaders from around the globe. Catch her at these events:

🏆 The Livelihood Impact Fund's Global Vision Impact Awards — a financing initiative supporting governments making bold national commitments on vision care.

Register here: https://luma.com/2intdiqq

👀 Co-sponsored by the UK and Malaysian governments, and co-organized by VISION 2020/IAPB, join a high-level discussion on "The Value of Vision: The Roadmap to Global Summit for Eye Health."

This event will explore how stronger political leadership and practical policy action can accelerate progress on eye health.

Register to attend virtually or in-person here: https://lnkd.in/eiqA53XY

If you'll be there, reach out — we'd love to connect!

📩 Reach out: [email protected]

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