Together We Can Make a Difference in the Fight to Eliminate Avoidable Blindness in Children.
Please Give Your Best Gift Today.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 80% of the world’s 45 million blind people live in developing countries. The Eye Foundation of America’s (EFA) mission is to go where the need is greatest — often rural and remote areas of developing countries where there is no medical care or where the cost of the eye care is prohibitive.
EFA provides medical eye care and treatment that is both affordable and accessible to all on equal terms. Our goal: eliminate avoidable blindness, especially in children. We take extra steps to ensure that our treatment is of the highest quality--comparable to that provided by the best hospitals in the world. We deliver that care in ways that maintain each patient’s self respect and dignity.
We’ve treated Native Americans, wounded refugees in war-torn Afghanistan, and have built two eye hospitals in India--one with a wing devoted exclusively to children. We’re involved in more than 14 countries and plan to extend that reach to 51 countries in the years ahead.
The Eye Foundation of America began its work in 1979 in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA with the vision of ophthalmologist V.K. Raju, MD. EFA grew out of Dr. Raju’s earlier work providing services and treatment near his birthplace in Rajamundry, a town in Southeast India’s Andrah Pradesh. Raju organized teams to go to remote areas and deliver eye care in areas where there otherwise were none. These traveling clinics were known as “eye camps.” Eye camps remain a standard part of the Foundation’s services today for screening and education.
Raju dedicated his own time and money outside his busy ophthalmological practice in West Virginia and used his own funds to cover many of the expenses. Eventually it became apparent that the lack of accessible, affordable eye care was very large and shared by an enormous number of people worldwide. In order to battle avoidable blindness on a global scale and to gain strength by partnering with other organizations, Raju created the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that we know today as the Eye Foundation of America.
Today’s EFA has grown far beyond its original size and scope but never outgrew the vision of its founder, who continues to look ahead. EFA has built modern eye hospitals and trained ophthalmic assistants and other personnel to carry on our work. We provide workshops and fellowships for physicians and medical students throughout the world. EFA also conducts research to find better ways of eliminating avoidable blindness, to learn how to distribute Vitamin A (in partnership with Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University) efficiently, and to determine how to maximize our efforts so that we can do more with less.
EFA also helped found the Goutami Eye Institute in 2005, a fully-equipped eye hospital in Rajahmundry with a wing dedicated to children’s eye problems. The Institute, also a teaching hospital, has trained 1.4 million patients, and performed 200,000 surgeries since 1979.
EFA relies on gracious contributions of donors and sponsors to continue our mission of eliminating avoidable blindness in children worldwide.
EFA conducts ongoing research in eyecare and the prevention of blindness. Please consider becoming a partner today.
Thank you for your interest in the Eye Foundation of America.
(A copy of the official registration and financial information of the Eye Foundation of America may be obtained from EFA by calling 304-598-0055. The Eye Foundation of America is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.)
