60+ Years of Restoring Sight and Transforming Lives Together 

Operation Eyesight & Rotary

Operation Eyesight Universal is an international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight. We were founded in Calgary in 1963 by Art Jenkyns, a local businessman and proud Rotary member. Our work began in India, and today we have programs in 10 countries in South Asia and Africa.  

Since our founding, more than 474 Rotary Clubs from around the world have contributed more than $3.88M to our eye health care projects – from mobile eye units and cataract surgeries, to training for ophthalmic staff and specialized equipment to screen pre-term infants, to clean water projects and hygiene education. Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation have also directly funded our sight-saving projects. In 2005, Rotary International celebrated its 100th anniversary with the “Partners in Vision” project, aimed at financing 100,000 sight-restoring surgeries through Operation Eyesight. 

Thank you, Rotary, for your ongoing compassion and generosity – For All The World To See! 

Learn More or Book a Presentation ⤵

Interested in learning more about our programs and how your club can help? We’d be happy to make a presentation to your club – in person or virtually! Contact us using the form below and a member of our team will get back to you. 

Upcoming projects

Click to view some details of our future projects that we will launch if we receive the necessary funding: 

– In Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, a $74,126 investment will establish a fully equipped Vision Centre to provide eye screenings, treatments, and eyeglasses, screening over 50,000 people and restoring sight to thousands. 

– This five-year project will train local health workers and declare 20 villages Avoidable Blindness-Free, ensuring sustainable eye health for the region. 

– Working towards a total $405,000 investment, supporting this initiative will help deliver over 5,400 cataract surgeries across nine countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal and Zambia, regions where over 100 million people live with vision loss.
 
– The program will restore sight to thousands, enabling them to regain independence and contribute actively to their communities. 

– A $27,876 investment will support a national
one-year project in Kenya to develop WHO-aligned
eye health training tools, train healthcare providers at
11 facilities and establish a national data system.
This initiative will standardize primary eye care
training and enhance services nationwide. 

– In Kajiado County, Kenya, a $32,231 investment will implement a state-of-the-art Electronic Medical Records system at the local referral hospital’s Eye Unit, enhancing quality and efficiency of eye care.

– The project will modernize patient management for the growing number of patients, ensuring timely and effective sight-restoring treatments. 

– A $46,985 investment will establish a fully equipped vision centre in Phulpur Upazila, Bangladesh, bringing eye screenings, treatments, eyeglasses and sight-restoring surgeries, reaching over 50,000 people, including school-aged children. This project will train local health workers and declare 20 villages Avoidable Blindness-Free.

Information we had on display at the
2025 Rotary International Convention:

How Our Work Aligns with Rotary’s Causes
How We Scaled our Retinopathy of Prematurity Project with Rotary Support
62+ Years of Support From Rotary Clubs Around the World

Learn more about where we work and what we do: 

Where We Work 
2024 Annual Report
Programming Areas
Global Strategy 2024-2028
Newsroom

Watch our 60th Anniversary video featuring stories from around the world

The partnering of Rotary with Operation Eyesight has been a great source of repeated success for our club for more than 40 years. The quality of care in planning and implementation has been outstanding. The commitment to sustainability is ongoing. The miracle of sight cannot be overestimated. My deepest respect and admiration go to those committed to improving the lives of others.

– John Wallace, Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise, Canada