CSR News: 9 Vision Centres Opened on World Sight Day in India

On World Sight Day 2025, Standard Chartered has announced the opening of nine vision centres including four with futuristic facilities, taking the total to 651 centres nationwide. This is part of the Bank’s flagship initiative ‘Seeing is Believing’ which endeavours to eliminate avoidable blindness in India.

Seeing is Believing programme has completed 22 years and operates across 21 states and two Union Territories. It has grown into one of the country’s most impactful eye health interventions, transforming millions of lives and building an ecosystem of care. So far, under this initiative, the Bank has screened over one crore patients while 11 lakh spectacles have been dispensed.

Out of total 651 vision centres, the Bank has 79 futuristic centres which are already redefining eye care through advanced technology across 17 districts. With the evolution of technology and the changing eye care situation, there is a growing need to scale-up primary eye care services by leveraging technology. These futuristic facilities extend the scope of existing vision centres to target detection of all chronic eye conditions that are currently beyond the realm of primary eye care.

One another key focus of Seeing is Believing is empowering women in eye care delivery. Currently, 50% of these Vision Centres are operated by women, providing not only essential healthcare but also career pathways for young women to be trained as vision technicians, ophthalmic nursing assistants, patient counsellors, optometrists and more.

Beyond primary care, ‘Seeing is Believing’ is also addressing India’s eye health workforce gap through its Eye Care Academies. Four academies are already operational in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Delhi, and Bihar with a fifth academy being launched this year in Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Together, these academies have created a pipeline of 1.26 lakh trained professionals so far, including allied ophthalmic paramedics, vision technicians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, many of them women.

Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered Bank, said, “For over two decades, Standard Chartered’s Seeing is Believing initiative has been a powerful force, demonstrating our unwavering commitment in tackling avoidable blindness and fostering inclusive development. We are not just providing eye care; we are building an ecosystem by merging accessibility, technology, and inclusion. A $31 social return on investment for every $1 invested in eye care underscores its power as a highly cost-effective and impactful investment in health, whilst helping to drive significant economic and social prosperity.”

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