Standard Chartered announced the opening of nine vision centres, including four with futuristic amenities, on World Sight Day 2025, bringing the total number of centres in the country to 651. This is a component of the Bank’s main campaign, “Seeing is Believing,” which aims to eradicate preventable blindness in India.

Operating in 21 states and two Union Territories, the Seeing is Believing program has been in operation for 22 years. It has transformed millions of lives and created an ecosystem of care, making it one of the most significant eye health programs in the nation. As of right now, the Bank has screened more than one crore patients and issued 11 lakh pairs of glasses as part of this effort.

The Bank has 79 futuristic facilities, out of a total of 651 vision centres, that are already revolutionising eye care in 17 regions using cutting-edge technology. The need to use technology to scale up primary eye care services is increasing as a result of technological advancements and shifting conditions in the field of eye care. By focussing on the detection of all chronic eye disorders that are now outside the purview of primary eye care, these cutting-edge facilities broaden the reach of current vision centres. Empowering women in the provision of eye care is another important goal of Seeing is Believing. Nowadays, women run half of these vision centres, which provide young women career pathways to become vision technicians, ophthalmic nursing assistants, patient counsellors, optometrists, and more in addition to providing basic healthcare.

Through its Eye Care Academies, “Seeing is Believing” is tackling India’s shortage of eye health professionals in addition to primary care. A fifth academy is being opened this year in Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, joining the four that are currently open in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Delhi, and Bihar. To far, these academies have produced a pipeline of 1.26 lakh trained professionals, many of them are women, including ophthalmologists, vision technicians, optometrists, and associated ophthalmic paramedics. “For more than two decades, Standard Chartered’s Seeing is Believing initiative has been a powerful force, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to tackling avoidable blindness and fostering inclusive development,” stated Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered Bank. By combining accessibility, technology, and inclusivity, we are creating an ecosystem rather than merely offering eye care. Eye care has a $31 social return on investment for every $1 invested, demonstrating its effectiveness as a relatively affordable and major health investment that also contributes to substantial economic and social development.