A pair of eyeglasses can change a life.

Eyeglasses help children succeed in school and develop the skills they need to pursue the careers they want. Proper vision care gives adults the opportunity to be more productive, avoid workplace accidents, connect to the digital highway, and earn more over their lifetime.

But this simple solution is just beyond the reach of millions of people living with poor vision around the world.

This is where the EYElliance comes in.

The Opportunity

More than 2.5 billion people around the world live with impaired but correctable vision problems. Finding innovative approaches to meeting this need changes the outlook for everyone.

Eyeglasses have existed for hundred of years. Today, we have cutting-edge technologies and large scale distribution models that mean better access to eyeglasses for everyone.

That’s why right now is the ideal time for actors from multiple sectors to come together, engage national governments and harness market forces. Together we can solve a problem that slows economic growth, limits the potential of school children, and stands in the way of a more inclusive global marketplace.

Who We Are

The EYElliance is a coalition of multi-sector public, private, and NGO partners, and stakeholders. We collaborate and find solutions to the world’s unmet need for eyeglasses.

The EYElliance works within systems to enable market-based solutions to thrive. We engage governments and encourage support of school-based eye health initiatives. We break down barriers and unite leaders from across sectors behind one common goal: to unlock human potential, one pair of eyeglasses at a time.

Focal Points

MOBILIZING
NEW RESOURCES

SIGNALING
ATTENTION &
ADVOCACY

ACCELERATING
IMPACT

MOBILIZING NEW RESOURCES

The EYElliance works to catalyze new and unaccessed funding options, including impact investors, private sector donors, foundations and governmental organizations. We educate leaders in these areas on the importance of eyeglasses and eye health with the goal of appropriating more resources to this neglected field.

SIGNALING ATTENTION & ADVOCACY

The EYElliance makes the case for investment in vision care and the provision of eyeglasses as a global development priority. We take the latest available evidence of how better vision leads to improved lives and highlight bright spots from organizations that are solving the problem in innovative, replicable, and scalable ways. With this information in hand, we meet with leaders from governments, the private sector, and civil sector to advocate for incorporating these models into funding and programmatic agendas.

ACCELERATING IMPACT

Ultimately, the EYElliance measures our success by the number of glasses that make it to those living with poor but correctable vision. To make the largest impact, we improve coordination between existing actors in this space and facilitate collaboration across sectors to support market-led development and school eye health initiatives.

Members

Connecting the world with vision care means seeing the larger picture, finding ways to help, and working with partners towards our common goals.

Founding Steering Committee

Essilor

Jayanth Bhuvaraghan
Chief Mission Officer
Essilor International

Brien Holden Vision Institute

Chris Jurgens
Director of Impact Investing
Omidyar Network

Vision Spring

Jordan Kassalow
Founder
VisionSpring

Brien Holden Vision Institute

Professor Kovin Naidoo
CEO
Brien Holden Vision Institute

Tides Center

Alex Sloan
VP, Strategic Partnerships
Tides

Brien Holden Vision Institute

Andy Tembon
Senior Health Specialist
World Bank

Major Donors

Alcon
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Essilor
Grand Challenges Canada
McNulty Foundation
Skoll Foundation
The Aspen Institute
The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
USAID

Members

Aravind Eye Care System
Brien Holden Vision Institute
BR
CBM
Clearly
Global Vision 2020
Helen Keller International
IAPB
International Council of Ophthalmology
International Eye Foundation
Kevin Frick, PhD
Light for the World
LV Prasad Eye Institute
National Vision
One Sight
Optometry Giving Sight
Orbis
Ovitz
Peek Vision Ltd
Plenoptika
REAP
Restoring Vision
salauno
Sightsavers
Two Billion Eyes
USAID
Ver Bien Para Aprender Mejor
Vision Aid Overseas
Vision for a Nation
Vision Spring
Vosh International
VSP
Warby Parker
World Council of Optometry
Tides Center

EYElliance is a project of Tides Center, the nation’s largest fiscal sponsor.

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