Description of Innovation

India accounts for 8.1 million of the global blind and 20% of the world’s visually impaired. However, patients in India often lack access to basic high-quality eye-care services and the poor, who are most affected by visual impairment and blindness, are largely prohibited by cost from seeking care.

 The LVPEI Pyramid of Eye Care model delivers care at all levels, from community outreach to advanced specialties including cornea transplants. A focus on efficiency in clinical operations and a tiered pricing system through which wealthy patients subsidize lower-income patients allow LVPEI to provide high-quality care to all, regardless of ability to pay. LVPEI has also integrated research and education directly into their model of care delivery to drive constant clinical and workforce improvements.

Since its founding 26 years ago, LVPEI has grown to a large network serving over 18 million people across all levels of care and has performed more than 600,000 surgeries. About 50% of patients receive care free of charge.