Blindness Prevention Program

History

Blindness prevention is the primary concern of DCI’s founder, Dr. Ehsan Hoque. Dr. Hoque was born in Bangladesh with congenital cataracts, and was at risk of becoming blind as a child. His family was fortunate enough to be able to provide him with the necessary treatment. With his eyesight intact, Dr. Hoque began looking toward those who were less fortunate, and wondered why so many children had to become blind from preventable causes and the lack of simple treatment. Feeling like he had been given a priceless gift, Dr. Hoque began to educate people in Bangladesh about eye care, teaching mothers about the importance of eating green vegetables when pregnant. He wanted to do more and took the leadership to create a multinational platform for blindness prevention.

While working at Yale University, he met renowned ophthalmologist Brian DeBroff, who discovered a new surgery technique for treating childhood cataracts, and who shared his concern for preventing blindness among underprivileged children. Together, the two founded DCI and the Blindness Prevention Program, which has grown into a life-changing initiative. With the support of donors and local partners, DCI now provides access to vision screening, treatment such as eyeglasses, cataract surgery, and rehabilitation, and vision health education to underprivileged children and adults in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

DCI launched its Blindness Prevention Program in 2007, with the objective of preventing and treating vision loss among underprivileged children and their families. DCI sponsors blindness prevention efforts in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, and periodically provides eye care to uninsured people in the United States. You can click the slideshow below to learn more about the program.

Program Goals

Present Activities

Our Impact

The Need

Visual Impairment in Bangladesh

Visual Impairment in India

Visual Impairment in Nepal

Visual Impairment in the United States