Based in Tamil Nadu, India, Aravind Eye Care System is the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world.
Started in 1976, Aravind Eye Care System now encompasses:
- Aravind Eye Hospitals: Using a hybrid business model, Aravind treats over 1.4 million patients a year, two-thirds for free. Aravind has been able to provide the same high-quality care to every patient, regardless of their ability to pay, without charitable contributions. It has also managed to operate successfully across both urban and rural regions in India, providing its diverse customer base with world-class services and products. This innovative new model of value creation has potential for large-scale social change that is at the same time financially sustainable.
- Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (LAICO): Propagates effective and sustainable models of eye care through teaching, training, capacity building, advocacy, research and publications. Since its inception in 1993, LAICO has workeds with 268 eye hospitals in India and other emerging economies.
- Dr. G. Venkataswamy Eye Research Institute: Run by the Aravind Medical Research Foundation, the institute conducts research and evolves methods to translate existing evidence and knowledge into effective solutions.
- Aurolab: Makes high quality ophthalmic products that are affordable and accessible worldwide. Aurolab’s products are exported to 120 countries around the world and accounts for 7.8% of global share of intraocular lenses.
- Aravind Eye Banks: Reduces corneal blindness through eye banking activities, training, research and public awareness programmes.
- Aravind‘s IT Wing: Produces affordable technology and software for eye hospitals worldwide.
- Aravind‘s Post Graduate Institute of Ophthalmology: Offers residency in ophthalmology and other training programmes for various cadres of eye care personnel. Since November 2010, a total of 5,959 eye care professionals (ophthalmologists, paramedical assistants, eye care managers, policy makers, technicians and community workers) from 94 countries have undergone training at Aravind.
Aravind has been widely recognised and awarded for its work. Some of the recent awards received include:
- Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize (2010)
- Dr. P. Namperumalsamy (Chairman Emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System) selected as one among the “world’s 100 most influential people” by Time Magazine (2010)
- Gates Award for Global Health (2008)
- Antonio Champalimaud Foundation Vision Award (2007)
- Ravilla Thulasiraj (Executive Director, Lions Aravind Institute of Community Opthalmology) named a Schwab Fellow of the World Economic Forum (2005)
