Since 1991, USAID's Child Blindness Program has provided eye care to over seven million children worldwide.
With an emphasis on quality and innovation, USAID prevents and treats blindness, restores sight and provides eyeglasses to thousands of people in the poorest communities of the world each year through the Agency's Child Blindness Program. Since the beginning of this program, the generous support of the American people has made it possible to provide eye care to over seven million children.
In low income countries, where most of this visual impairment exists, children lack the necessary visual aids, services or surgeries to help them participate in typical and important childhood activities such as education, reading and play. When a child suffers from impaired vision or goes blind, it reduces their long-term economic and development potential and affects their family, community and country.
USAID-Supported Child Blindness Publications
- Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening
- Outcome of Vision Screening by Community Heath Workers at Immunization Outlets in Nigeria to Support Access to Early Visual Evaluation in Children 0-2 Years
- Effectiveness of a novel mobile health (Peek) and education intervention on spectacle wear amongst children in India: Results from a randomized superiority trial in India
Child Blindness Program Grants
To maximize our impact on reducing child blindness, USAID releases grants to small U.S.-based and international organizations to support the Program's goals. Applicants are encouraged to consider strategic partnerships, leverage expertise from other organizations and promote local systems strengthening.
Examples of the Child Blindness Program's work include providing sight-restoring surgery, screening children for eye diseases and conditions, delivering eyeglasses and visual aids to schools, providing education and rehabilitation services for the blind, assessing innovative technologies to improve service delivery, providing eye health education, and training medical staff and community-based workers.
Learn more about the Child Blindness Program's past projects [PDF, 857KB]
