Prescription glasses and eye exams

In the developing world, faced with a dire crisis in health care, access to vision care and treatment is often a low priority. Yet in most cases, a standard vision exam and access to prescription glasses is all that is needed for a patient to see clearly, often for the first time in his or her life.

The Philippines is a perfect example of a country facing this situation. Spread over 700 islands, access to decent medical care is almost non-existent for a large percent of the population. When care is available, people may have to travel hundreds of miles to receive it. The Seeing Clearly Program created the first eyeglass bank in the Philippines in 2004, and an optometry clinic in 2006. Through the program and facilities, medical professionals are trained to use sophisticated equipment to determine the prescription strength of donated eyeglasses and to provide comprehensive eye exams to patients, who then receive either appropriate medical treatment or a pair of prescription glasses.