The Gift of Sight: A Case Review of Aravind Eye Care System

In 1976, Dr. G. Venkataswamy, a retired Professor of Ophthalmology at the Government Medical College in Madurai, India, founded the Aravind Eye Care System, which today has grown into the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world.

The 11 bed hospital has now grown beyond being just a chain of hospitals, and has evolved as a centre for manufacturing synthetic lenses, sutures, and also to train optometrists and other allied health care professionals.

As an institution that believes in being part of the country’s health care solution, Aravind Eye Care Systems has fine-tuned a low-cost model which has allowed it lower costs for the poor, as well as offer free eye care.

Over the years the hospital has gained global recognition. It is now a World Health Organization collaborating centre for prevention of blindness, and the only examination centre of the Royal College of Ophthalmology.

Read more about the Aravind Eye Care model here.