Sankara Nethralaya in collaboration with Essilor India Pvt Ltd has introduced an innovative and affordable eye care option for rural Indian states - India's first Mobile Refraction Van. This fully equipped mobile refraction van will carry all instruments necessary to carry out a comprehensive eye examination and dispense spectacles (except for compound astigmatism) in a matter of a few hours at the door step of rural south Indian villages at a nominal cost.

The absence of adequate eye care facilities has resulted in an almost negligible use of spectacles in rural India. Also uncorrected refractive error is one of the major causes of blindness in India which if detected and corrected could give a fresh lease of life to individuals. Apart from refractive errors, adult and children’s eye disorders are also taken care. The Essilor-Sankara Nethralaya Van will fulfill this need by providing world class eye care at the door step of rural India. This mobile van pilot project in time will be scaled up to encompass more number of rural villages.

Research has revealed that the prime barriers in providing qualitative eye-care in India are ignorance, negligence about eye care and inaccessibility to timely quality treatment. This Essilor Sankara Netralaya Mobile eye clinic will fill this need gap by traveling across villages in rural south india, providing comprehensive eye examination and basic treatment, at community centers and locations serving the rural population. 2 optometrists, sales person, and a driver, who was trained to edge glasses, will tour with the Van.

ABOUT ESSILOR INTERNATIONAL

Essilor, the Euro 2.4 billion world leader in ophthalmic optical products, has operations in over 100 countries. They are the inventors of many firsts in the eye care industry like the Plastic ophthalmic lens, Progressive Lenses, Plastic Photochromic Lenses etc. Essilor's mission is “Helping the world see better” and providing high quality products and service to lens users worldwide.

ESSILOR Mobile Unit at Karnataka		Inaugurated on 7th June 2006

Dr. S.S Badrinath, Chairman, Sankara Nethralaya speaking on the occasion said, “We believe that this Customer Centric Mobile Refraction Van will set a trend in providing basic eye care services to rural India which accounts for the largest proportion of the Indian population. Sankara Nethralaya is proud to be associated with this project”.

The Refraction Van is scheduled to visit 12 villages across the state following which it will travel back to the city to replenish its stocks Commenting on this memorable occasion, Mr. B Jayanth, Managing Director, Essilor India said “Essilor is very excited to be working on such an important community eye-care venture. We are committed to bringing quality eye care in rural areas and are proud to contribute to the development of Rural India”.

Essilor India the 100% owned Indian subsidiary of Essilor International began their Indian operations in August 1998 and has risen to the position of market leader in plastic lens segment today. The company is headquartered in Bangalore and has regional offices in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Essilor is present via a wide network of own and franchise labs. Their products are available with all leading opticians across the country. Essilor is heavily committed to providing training to the ophthalmic community as well as good brands and technology to all sections of society. It helps in training the social workers to grind the lenses. It has taken this project, to provide lenses to the needy and to eradicate blindness, to rural masses of India at a nominal cost, without having any profit in view, showing its philanthropist attitude.

It facilitates patients who are prescribed glasses (spectacles) to buy scientifically tested quality glasses in the campsite. Our trained personnel make suitable lens with the help of the grinding machine, mounts the lens in the frames chosen by the patients and delivers the finished spectacles to the patients on the spot