Underprivileged to benefit from two new vision centres in Chennai

Two new vision centres at Thiruvanmiyur and Choolaimedu in Chennai opened recently, bringing hope to many thousands of people for a life without vision impairment.

Standard Chartered Global Business Services (GBS) Private Limited will be financially supporting the two vision centres for uptake of eye health care in the city for a span of four years. Sightsavers India, a development organisation working on avoidable blindness and disability inclusion will be partnering with India Vision Institute (IVI) for the two Vision Centres wherein the intervention seeks to identify more than 6,000 people with cataract and refer them for surgery, screen over 60,000 people for eye care, and dispense more than 8,000 spectacles over next four years. Nearly, 2,000 people will also be screened for diabetic retinopathy.

S Aravindramesh MLA, Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Sholinganallur, opened the vision centre at Thiruvanmiyur.

Dr EzhilanNaganathan, MD, Member of Legislative Assembly, Thousand Lights constituency, launched the Choolaimedu vision centre in the presence of Suganya Selvam E, Municipal Councillor, and Dr G Sivakumar, District Program Manager, District Blindness Control Society.

The vision centres will aim to improve the eye health of the underserved urban slum population through quality eye health services.

Head – Sustainability, Standard Chartered Bank & Global Business Services, Ms Karuna Bhatia said, “To ensure accessible eye care for communities in urban slums, Standard Chartered Global Business Services Private Limited has partnered with Sightsavers India to take comprehensive primary eye care services to the doorsteps of people and provide affordable eye care services to marginalised urban communities. The focus is on early detection of eye ailments, referral, and appropriate treatment. Standard Chartered through its Seeing is Believing project has been a long-standing partner of Sightsavers India working in remote and underserved regions of the country. Serving communities will always be at the heart of Standard Chartered. "

Sightsavers India CEO, Mr RN Mohanty said, “The Vision Centres in Chennai were launched with the objective of reducing the prevalence of visual impairment that aligns with the target set by the National Programme for the Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCB&VI).This can simply be achieved by detecting serious eye problems like cataracts and diabetic retinopathy and create a referral network to provide treatment.”

Following SDG’s agenda of ‘leave no one behind’, the project will be implemented by the identification of the beneficiaries to screening and outreach programmes. It will ensure the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities, especially women and girls with disabilities.

“Sightsavers is happy to collaborate with Standard Chartered Global Business Services Private Limited and India Vision Institute to bridge the critical gap of unmet eye health care needs of the urban community in Chennai,” said Mr Mohanty.

IVI's CEO Vinod Daniel said, "The vision centres will help make a positive impact on people's lives. With clear vision, there will be more work opportunities, increased efficiency and improved productivity. It will also make people, particularly the elderly, regain self-confidence and less vulnerable to accidents and falls."

Vision screening services and corrective glasses will be available at the vision centres at affordable prices, and free corrective glasses provided to those who are unable to pay. The new centres will complement our existing vision centre in Palavakkam," he said.

“We have screened some 300,000 people in the Greater Chennai area. More than 90 percent of both underprivileged adults and children from corporation schools we have vision screened were first time users of spectacles. The compliance rate among them is very high,” Mr Daniel added.

Standard Chartered Global Business Services Private Limited (India)

Standard Chartered’s Global Business Services (GBS) began its operations in India in 2000 and operates across the cities of Chennai and Bengaluru. These hubs serve as a centre of excellence by transforming the processes and operations for the businesses and functions of Standard Chartered. It provides a multitude of support services to the Group’s businesses in various markets around the world, which includes dedicated world-class technology, software and system development, information technology support services, banking operations and client care capabilities.

Today, GBS employs over 20,500 employees in India across locations of Chennai and Bengaluru.