Pledge Your Eyes
COMMUNITY EYE CARE

Bringing Quality Eye Care
Closer to Every Community

Building a Sustainable Eye-Care Network Across West Bengal

For many people, access to quality eye care is not only a medical challenge—it is a question of distance, affordability, awareness and access.

Susrut Eye Foundation & Research Centre is addressing this challenge by taking primary eye care closer to where people live.

Through a growing network of 100+ Vision Centres, community screening programmes, door-to-door outreach, mobile eye-care services and referral pathways to Susrut's hospitals, we are building a model where eye care can reach communities before avoidable vision loss becomes irreversible.

But our Vision Centre model is designed to do more than deliver healthcare.

Explore Our Vision Centre Network → Partner With Susrut →
SUSRUT
Vision Centre Primary eye care
Community Local participation
Outreach Mobile eye care
Susrut Hospital Specialist referral
Local Access Closer to home
100+ Vision Centres
Accessible Eye Care Quality care closer to communities
Local Employment Creating opportunities locally
Self-Entrepreneurship Supporting local enterprise
Women Empowerment Expanding participation and opportunity
Community Participation Building stronger local networks
VISION CENTRE MODEL

The Vision Centre: Bringing Eye Care to the Doorstep

From Camps to a Sustainable Community-Based Model

Traditional eye camps can identify patients and connect them to treatment. But sustainable eye care requires something more.

People need a place close to home where they can seek primary eye care, receive an initial assessment, get appropriate advice and, when necessary, be referred to a specialist.

This is the thinking behind Susrut's Vision Centre model.

SUSRUT VISION CENTRE NETWORK 100+ Vision Centres

Susrut currently reports operating 100+ Vision Centres as of March 2024, providing comprehensive primary eye care in rural and urban communities while integrating information technology into service delivery.

01
STARTING POINT From occasional camps

Periodic community screening and identification of patients.

02
ACCESS To regular access

A nearby point of contact for recurring eye-care needs.

03
CORE MODEL Centre-based primary eye care

Initial assessment, advice and appropriate primary eye care.

04
REFERRAL To timely specialist referral

Patients who need specialist care can be referred to Susrut.

05
CONTINUITY To continuing care closer to home

Ongoing access and follow-up within the community.

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE

Susrut's stated objective is to change health-seeking behaviour and progressively move from a camp-based approach towards a sustainable centre-based approach.

CONNECTED EYE CARE

One Network.
One Continuum of Eye Care.

A Vision Centre does not replace a specialist hospital. It creates the first point of access.

AT THE VISION CENTRE

First Point of Access

01
Screen
→
02
Identify
→
03
Advise
→
04
Refer
→
05
Follow Up

Susrut describes its optometrists as the core personnel at Vision Centres, responsible for early assessment and identification of eye problems.

social
SPECIALIST CARE PATHWAY

When Specialised Treatment Is Required

Patients requiring specialised care can be referred to Susrut's base hospitals for further evaluation and treatment.

01 Community
02 Vision Centre
03 Primary Eye Care
04 Digital / Tele-Eye Support
05 Susrut Specialist
06 Treatment
07 Follow-Up
ONE CONNECTED NETWORK Local access when patients need it. Specialist care when they need more. Follow-up that remains connected to the community.
COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD

Healthcare That Creates Local Opportunity

Turning Eye Care Into a Community-Based Livelihood

A sustainable healthcare model should not only reach communities—it should also create opportunities within communities.

Susrut's Vision Centre approach creates a platform where trained local people can participate in delivering primary eye-care services and connecting communities to the larger healthcare system.

The organisation also describes trained local individuals conducting household screening using mobile applications and encouraging people with identified problems to visit their nearest Vision Centre.

OUR APPROACH
01
FOUNDATION

Train

Equip local people with relevant skills and knowledge.

02
OPPORTUNITY

Enable

Create opportunities to participate in community eye care.

03
COMMUNITY

Serve

Bring primary eye-care services closer to the population.

04
NETWORK

Connect

Link patients with Susrut's specialist network.

05
LONG TERM

Build

Develop a model capable of becoming locally sustainable.

COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL Healthcare becomes more sustainable when local people are equipped to participate in the system and communities become part of the care pathway.
WOMEN & COMMUNITY

Women at the Heart of Community Eye Care

Empowerment Through Skills. Independence Through Opportunity.

One of the most powerful dimensions of Susrut's Vision Centre model is its potential to create self-entrepreneurship opportunities for women.

Women who receive appropriate training and become part of the community eye-care ecosystem can become more than healthcare workers.

They can become:

01
CARE

Service Providers

Bringing primary eye-care support closer to local communities.

02
EDUCATION

Community Educators

Sharing awareness and encouraging healthier eye-care behaviour.

03
ENTERPRISE

Healthcare Entrepreneurs

Building meaningful livelihood opportunities through healthcare.

04
LEADERSHIP

Local Leaders

Becoming trusted contributors within their own communities.

THE HUMAN IMPACT
When a woman becomes the person her community turns to for eye care, she gains more than a livelihood. She gains knowledge, confidence, independence and a role in shaping the health of her community.
WOMEN-LED VISION CENTRES

Why Women-Led Vision Centres Matter

A Vision Centre Can Become More Than a Healthcare Facility

For a woman entrepreneur, a Vision Centre can become a platform for livelihood, professional development, leadership and meaningful community impact.

01
LIVELIHOOD

A livelihood

An opportunity to build a sustainable source of income.

02
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

A profession

A pathway to develop healthcare-related skills and experience.

03
LEADERSHIP

A leadership role

A position of trust and responsibility within her community.

04
SOCIAL IMPACT

A social-impact platform

An opportunity to improve eye-health awareness and access around her.

05
CONNECTED CARE

A bridge to specialist healthcare

A connection between underserved communities and Susrut's wider clinical network.

THE BIGGER OPPORTUNITY A women-led Vision Centre can connect economic opportunity with better access to eye care.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Reaching Communities Beyond the Hospital

Eye Care Where People Live

The Vision Centre network works alongside Susrut's wider outreach programmes, helping extend primary eye care, screening, awareness and referral services into communities.

01
COMMUNITY ACCESS

Door-to-Door Screening

Regular screening activities in rural parts of West Bengal.

02
ADULT EYE CARE

Adult Screening Camps

Community eye-check-up camps for adults in urban and rural areas, including cataract identification and access to free or subsidised surgery for eligible elderly patients.

03
CHILDREN

Pediatric Screening

Screening through schools and ICDS centres for refractive errors and other eye conditions, with free spectacles where required and hospital referral for further treatment.

04
DIABETIC EYE CARE

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

Specialised screening through community Vision Centres to identify diabetic retinopathy before it causes irreversible vision loss, with other conditions referred to the main hospital.

05
MOBILE CARE

Mobile Vision Vans & Ambulances

Taking primary eye-care services to remote communities through mobile services and technology-enabled delivery.

06
AWARENESS

Awareness & Education

Training school and ICDS teachers on basic eye care, vision screening and referral, supported by community IEC activities.

ONE COMMUNITY OUTREACH NETWORK Screening, awareness, primary care, referral and specialist access can begin closer to where people live.
COMMUNITY AWARENESS

From Awareness to Action

Changing How Communities Seek Eye Care

Awareness is only the first step. Our goal is to help communities move from recognising a vision problem to knowing where to seek care and ultimately accessing eye care closer to home.

01
AWARENESS
"I cannot see properly."

A person recognises that something may be wrong with their vision.

02
LOCAL ACCESS
"I know where to go."

A Vision Centre provides a local point of access for primary eye care.

03
ACTION
"I can access eye care close to home."

Local services make it easier to seek care, receive advice and enter the referral pathway.

THE SUSRUT MODEL

Awareness + Access + Technology + Referral

Community Awareness Help people recognise eye-health needs
→
Local Access Bring primary eye care closer to home
→
Technology Support connected service delivery
→
Specialist Referral Connect patients to specialist care
THE GOAL From knowing there is a problem to knowing where to go—and being able to access the right care.
DIGITAL EYE CARE

Technology Connecting the Community to Specialist Care

Local Access. Digital Connectivity. Specialist Expertise.

Technology can help overcome one of the biggest barriers in rural healthcare: distance.

Susrut's Vision Centre model integrates information technology into community eye care, creating a connected pathway between local access and specialist expertise.

01
LOCAL COMMUNITY

Community

People seeking accessible eye care closer to where they live.

02
LOCAL ACCESS

Vision Centre

Primary eye-care assessment, screening and referral.

DIGITAL
CONNECTIVITY Information technology supporting eye care
03
SPECIALIST EXPERTISE

Susrut Specialist Network

Specialist evaluation, treatment and connected follow-up when required.

SCREENING Technology-enabled screening
DIAGNOSTICS Mobile diagnostic tools
TELE-EYE CARE Tele-eye consultations
HOME CARE Technology-enabled home initiatives
THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY Digital connectivity can help bring specialist expertise closer to communities without requiring every patient to begin their care journey at a hospital.
COMMUNITY IMPACT

The Impact Goes Beyond Eye Care

A Vision Centre Can Create Multiple Layers of Impact

A sustainable community-based eye-care model can create benefits that extend beyond clinical services, influencing health, livelihoods, awareness, participation and the wider healthcare system.

01
HEALTH IMPACT

Health Impact

Earlier identification of eye problems and better access to primary eye care.

02
ECONOMIC IMPACT

Economic Impact

Opportunities for local employment and self-entrepreneurship.

03
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Women's Empowerment

Greater participation of women in skilled healthcare-related livelihoods and community leadership.

04
SOCIAL IMPACT

Social Impact

Greater awareness and improved health-seeking behaviour.

05
COMMUNITY IMPACT

Community Impact

Healthcare becomes available closer to where people live.

06
SYSTEM IMPACT

System Impact

A sustainable centre-based model can complement periodic camps and connect primary care with specialist services.

MULTI-LAYERED IMPACT Better eye care can become the starting point for stronger health access, local opportunity and a more connected community healthcare system.
THE SUSRUT MODEL

Our Community Eye-Care Model

A connected model bringing together training, technology, local screening, awareness, referral, specialist care and community opportunity.

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY Building Local Capacity
01
SKILL DEVELOPMENT Skill Development
02
OPPORTUNITY Local Opportunity
03
ENTERPRISE Self-Entrepreneurship
04
EMPOWERMENT Women's Empowerment
05
LONG-TERM IMPACT Community Development
SUSRUT
ENABLEMENT Training & Technology
01
PRIMARY ACCESS

Vision Centre

The local point of access for primary eye care.

SCREENING Local Screening
AWARENESS Awareness
02
EARLY IDENTIFICATION

Early Detection

PRIMARY CARE Primary Care
REFERRAL Specialist Referral
SPECIALIST ACCESS
Susrut Hospital
SPECIALIST CARE Specialist Care
CONTINUITY Follow-Up
CARE CONTINUUM Connecting Local Access
to Specialist Expertise
Local Access Care begins closer to home.
Connected Technology Digital tools support the pathway.
Specialist Expertise Complex cases can move into specialist care.
THE CORE VISUAL STORY One Vision Centre can connect two powerful outcomes: better access to eye care and greater opportunity within the community.
VISION CENTRE NETWORK

100+ Vision Centres. One Vision.

From One Hospital to a Statewide Community Network

Susrut's strength is not only its hospitals. It is the network that connects those hospitals to communities.

Every Vision Centre represents a closer point of access to primary eye care—and an opportunity to build a more sustainable, community-driven model of healthcare.

100+ Vision Centres
102 Centres listed in the directory
Explore Vision Centre Network →
WEST BENGAL Vision Centre Network
SUSRUT
Community access points Referral hospitals
Local access → Primary eye care → Specialist referral
COMMUNITY-CENTRED CARE

Our Vision Centres Are Built Around Communities

A Vision Centre succeeds when the community trusts it. That is why Susrut's model combines healthcare delivery with local participation, awareness, technology and connected referral pathways.

THE COMMUNITY

Trust is at the centre of the model.

Healthcare works better when people understand it, participate in it and can access it close to home.

01
AWARENESS Community Awareness
02
PARTICIPATION Local Participation
03
EDUCATION Health Education
04
OUTREACH Door-to-Door Screening
05
TECHNOLOGY Technology
06
CONNECTIVITY Referral Systems
07
PEOPLE Trained Personnel
COMMUNITY TRUST The Vision Centre is not only a place where care is delivered—it is a local relationship built around access, awareness and continuity.
COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

From Women Empowerment to Community Transformation

When One Woman Becomes an Entrepreneur, an Entire Community Can Benefit

A woman-led Vision Centre can create a ripple effect that connects economic opportunity with healthcare access, awareness and stronger community participation.

01
THE START One Woman A woman steps into an entrepreneurial role within community eye care.
02
LIVELIHOOD One Livelihood An opportunity to build a sustainable source of income.
03
HEALTHCARE One Healthcare Service A local point of access for primary eye-care needs.
04
COMMUNITY REACH Hundreds of Community Interactions Every day, a local service can create opportunities for awareness, screening, guidance and connection.
05
AWARENESS Earlier Eye-Care Seeking People may be encouraged to recognise problems and seek care sooner.
06
ACCESS Better Access Primary eye care becomes available closer to where people live.
07
LONG-TERM IMPACT A Stronger Community Economic opportunity and better healthcare access reinforce community development.
THE BIGGER VISION
We don't just want communities to see better. We want communities to become stronger.
PARTNERSHIP

Partner With Us

Help Us Build a More Accessible and Sustainable Eye-Care Ecosystem

The Vision Centre model creates opportunities for organisations, institutions, communities and individuals to contribute to a more accessible and sustainable eye-care ecosystem.

01
CORPORATES

Corporates

CSR-supported eye-care and community development initiatives.

02
PUBLIC HEALTH

Government

Convergence with public health and community-health programmes.

03
DEVELOPMENT

Development Organisations

Support for underserved communities and health equity.

04
CAPACITY BUILDING

Training Partners

Skill development and capacity building for community-based eye care.

05
COMMUNITY

Community Organisations

Local mobilisation, awareness and community participation.

06
SOCIAL INVESTMENT

Social Investors / Philanthropists

Supporting scalable community-based healthcare models.

LET'S BUILD TOGETHER

Turn collaboration into community impact.

Explore ways to support, strengthen or expand community-based eye care through the Susrut Vision Centre network.

Explore Partnership Opportunities
IMPACT DASHBOARD

Measuring Our Community Impact

A snapshot of the Vision Centre network and the wider community impact of Susrut's outreach model.

VISION CENTRE NETWORK 102 Vision Centres
01
GEOGRAPHIC REACH [6]

Districts covered

02
SCREENING [Annual]

People screened

03
CHILDREN [Annual]

Children screened

04
VISION SUPPORT [Annual]

Spectacles provided

05
CATARACT CARE [Annual]

Cataract surgeries supported

06
OUTREACH [Annual]

Door-to-door screenings

07
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT [68 / %]

Women-led Vision Centres

08
CAPACITY BUILDING [Verified]

People trained

09
LOCAL OPPORTUNITY [Verified]

Local entrepreneurs enabled

Data note: Annual screening, surgery, training and entrepreneurship figures should be updated using the latest verified organisational data before publication.

JOIN THE VISION

Be Part of the Vision

Help Us Take Eye Care Further

Every Vision Centre brings eye care closer. Every trained person creates a new opportunity. Every empowered woman strengthens her community. Every patient identified early has a better chance of receiving timely care.

Closer Care Eye care closer to communities
New Opportunity Skills that create livelihoods
Empowerment Women strengthening communities
Earlier Care Earlier identification and referral
Together, we can build a future where quality eye care is not determined by where someone lives—and where access to healthcare can also become a pathway to dignity, livelihood and empowerment.
Partner With Susrut → Support Our Community Programmes →