What we do

IRIS Mundial aims to help developing countries reach autonomy in terms of eye care. The organization does this by establishing permanent eye care services and working with local partners by respecting existing cultures and structures in the country. In order to make visual services available throughout the year, IRIS Mundial has implemented three “Programs for the Prevention and Fight against Blindness (PPFB)” that aim to offer a quality eye care system to the most disadvantaged population located in isolated areas.

Our programs have three major goals

1. To offer a permanent eye care program to the population and collect statistical data on the main causes of blindness and vision impairment in the area.
2. To provide primary, secondary and tertiary eye care: to conduct vision screenings at the ophthalmological clinic, in mobile clinics and in schools in the area, to refer the patients who require further treatment to the ophthalmological clinic where an ophthalmologist will examine them once a month; and to offer a free eye surgery in a partner clinic to some patients.
3. To help improve the knowledge of the local inhabitants on visual care and how to access it: provide public awareness and education sessions on visual hygiene, provide radio spots on visual health, create partnerships for referencing, etc.

These permanent programs help to improve visual health among impoverished people, thereby improving their quality of life and their participation in the socio-economic development of their community. For example, the reduction of vision impairments increase employment opportunities and productivity. In addition, it reduces the economic burden on the families. Also, 80% of a child’s learning is mainly through his vision. Therefore, the importance of an adequate vision must be considered as a key factor which affects a child’s education and learning abilities in school.

The local teams are working tirelessly to enable thousands of people each year to experience better vision. For the results of our programs in Haiti and Senegal:

The permanent programs of IRIS Mundial