Eye Mitro Project

Project Overview :

Uncorrected refractive errors affect persons of all ages and ethnic groups and are the main cause of vision impairment. Refractive errors affect a large proportion of the population worldwide, irrespective of age, sex, and ethnic group, and are the main cause of vision impairment. They may drop out of education. be deprived of employment opportunities, have lower productivity, and have an impaired quality of life. Such refractive errors can be easily diagnosed, measured, and corrected with spectacles or other refractive corrections to attain normal vision. According to the Bangladesh Blindness Profile, over 10 million people need vision correction through spectacles or other means. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of their visual problems and inadequate physicians and optical stores to address these problems. Specialized ophthalmologists are only available at district levels, and the same with the spectacle dispensing stores. Furthermore, these people cannot afford to spend a day’s travel to the nearest district towns and buy a pair of mainstream spectacles.

Misconceptions and social taboos regarding the use of spectacles are another problem. Simple optometry does not need specialized ophthalmologists. Also, the scenario in Bangladesh is that the untrained spectacle shopkeepers serve to correct the refractive errors, which are often full of technical errors. This project, through the trained opticians, will serve the underserved community methodically and correctly.

Bangladesh has a huge population suffering from uncorrected refractive errors. In rural Bangladesh, due to a lack of awareness about visual impairment and a lack of adequate eye care services, a good number of people suffer from uncorrected refractive errors. In most situations, one can expect about 20 percent of the population in total to require refraction services. TMSS will have a big enough potential market to make it economically viable.

Unique solution and social innovation:
Lack of trained ophthalmologists is a major factor for lack of these services. The project offers a unique solution by developing skilled refractionists in large number who can screen and dispense spectacles even at rural setting and thus solving the problems of uncorrected refractive errors. Local youths once trained can set up independent optical service centers and serve local population finding way to solve the unemployment problem as well.

Project Goal :

Sustainable Vision for the Underserved Communities and Livelihood Opportunity for Educated Unemployed Youth in Bangladesh.