History
High Impact Results
Organization Founded: 2000
International Programs Founded: 2004
Global Health Conference Founded: 2004
Eye Care Services Provided To: 900,000
Sight-Restoring Cataract Surgeries: 30,374
Fellows Trained: 6,600
History
Unite For Sight was founded by Jennifer Staple-Clark in her dorm room when she was a sophomore at Yale University. Now Jennifer is 28, and she has grown the organization to be a global nonprofit organization that has provided eye care to 900,000 people in North America, Africa, and Asia. A visionary leader and social entrepreneur, Jennifer Staple-Clark was featured in Nicholas D. Kristof's "The Age of Ambition" article in The New York Times on January 27, 2008.
Since 2003, Unite For Sight has trained more than 6,600 fellows to eliminate preventable blindness in their local community and abroad. These volunteers annually contribute 80,000 volunteer hours of service to eliminating preventable blindness and restoring sight. The work of these volunteers is vitally important, and the result of their work is profound. In addition to Unite For Sight's measurable impact, there is an equally compelling achievement. The organization has found a way to unite doctors, students, and other people, especially younger people, across borders, across economic status, and across professional lines.
Unite For Sight has provided eye care to 900,000 people worldwide and coordinated and funded more than 30,374 sight-restoring surgeries for patients living in extreme poverty in Africa and Asia. The Unite For Sight international programs are locally led and managed by ophthalmologists at partner eye clinics. The patients go from being completely blind to having their sight entirely restored by a 15-minute operation. 80% of all blindness is preventable, and 36 million people worldwide are needlessly blind. Unite For Sight's goal is to create a lasting impact and reduce the number of people living with unnecessary blindness. Unite For Sight sponsors all of the eye care programs, including providing patients with free surgery, so that no patient remains blind due to lack of funds.
Unite For Sight applies best practices in eye care, public health, and volunteerism to achieve our goal of high quality eye care for all. The programs are locally led and managed by ophthalmologists at Unite For Sight's partner eye clinics. Unite For Sight's international eye care services with partner local eye clinics are comprehensive, including examinations by local eye doctors, diagnosis and care for all treatable conditions, promotion, and prevention. This full range of services is delivered to the popuation year-round. Outreach services are brought to the people in their villages, in some cases including villages seven or more hours from the clinic. These patients are provided with follow up care by our outreach teams regularly throughout the year.