What We Do
Take an inside look at one of of our Vision Eye Camps, where sight-restoring care meets global impact. Click to watch the video.
Vision Eye Camps
Our Vision Eye Camps are at the core of what we do. Partnering with local hospitals, Vision Care provides free services, including sight-restoring cataract surgeries, comprehensive eye exams, and other essential treatments to patients with limited healthcare access.
Vision Care stands out for its ability to perform portable phacoemulsification cataract extractions in remote locations with electricity and clean water. With over 350 Eye Camps hosted to date, Vision Care has facilitated more than 28,000 life-changing surgeries.
Join us on the field as a medical or non-medical volunteer and make a direct impact today!
Surgical Teaching Programs
Vision Care’s surgical teaching programs are central to our mission of advancing the global medical workforce through medical education and developing sustainable eye care systems around the world. Key courses include:
- Phacoemulsification Training Course (PTC)
- Surgical Ophthalmic Nursing Training Course (SONTC)
Our skill-building programs train surgeons as well as ophthalmic nurses, technicians, and optometrists in the global standard for surgical eye care. Through mentorship opportunities and leadership training, Vision Care ensures a holistic approach to comprehensive eye care.
Networking & Advocacy
Global Connection. Global Collaboration. Vision Care is part of a large network of organizations committed to the elimination of blindness through building sustainable systems of care. Alongside our long-term local medical partners, we work to advocate for increased access to vision health services and medical technology advancement in under-resourced settings.
Community & School Eye Health
As part of our commitment to direct patient care and local community engagement, Vision Care offers both in-school and community eye health programming through our branch locations. On-the-ground Vision Care staff not only perform vision screenings to detect and correct vision problems amongst children, but also provide basic eye health education.
- 177,000+ outpatient examinations conducted
- Incl. 94,000+ school children who have received vision screening
- Approximately 4,000 eyeglasses distributed to date
Children with medical causes of vision loss may also receive referrals to our trained optometrists and ophthalmologists for further evaluation and intervention.
Local Eye Camp
Vision Care USA hosts an annual Local Eye Camp in the New York Metro Area. This event offers free eye screenings to 100 uninsured, financially vulnerable residents in Fort Lee, NJ and Flushing, NY— with a select number receiving free cataract surgeries.
In collaboration with the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery’s (ASCRS) national Operation Sight program, this initiative highlights Vision Care’s dedication to reducing local vision health disparities and providing quality care to all those without access.
Where We Work
Stories
I read about the international blindness relief activities but did not know how I could help until I participated in the Vision Care’s Eye Camp. I was very surprised to learn that Vision Care continuously worked on the international blindness relief activities since 2002 and that so many people participated on a volunteer bases. For me, it was encouraging and comforting to know.
There is no place where I can have the opportunity to learn such advanced skills for free in Uganda. If there were such opportunities, it was not easy to do since I would have to go outside of the country. I deeply appreciated Vision Care for providing this training program and I will do my best to use the skills learned for the people of Uganda and to pass on these skills to other medical personnel.
After the operation, I was able to read books and play with my friends at school. I was able to do things that previously I was not able to do because of my vision problem. I am very thankful to the people who brought me to the hospital and the doctor who gave me the surgery.
An older patient received surgery on the same day he was examined by the doctor. I cannot forget his smiling face when we took off his eye shield the next day. Just yesterday, he could not walk by himself, but today he was able to walk on his own. When I gave him the thumbs up, he pointed at my thumb and confidently shouted out “One!” It was the most memorable moment during the Mozambique Eye Camp.
I was surprised to learn how many people’s lives can be impacted by restoring a person’s sight. It is life-transforming not only for that person, but also for their families. And it is also a life-changing experience for those who participated in this work.
I read about the international blindness relief activities but did not know how I could help until I participated in the Vision Care’s Eye Camp. I was very surprised to learn that Vision Care continuously worked on the international blindness relief activities since 2002 and that so many people participated on a volunteer bases. For me, it was encouraging and comforting to know.
There is no place where I can have the opportunity to learn such advanced skills for free in Uganda. If there were such opportunities, it was not easy to do since I would have to go outside of the country. I deeply appreciated Vision Care for providing this training program and I will do my best to use the skills learned for the people of Uganda and to pass on these skills to other medical personnel.
After the operation, I was able to read books and play with my friends at school. I was able to do things that previously I was not able to do because of my vision problem. I am very thankful to the people who brought me to the hospital and the doctor who gave me the surgery.
An older patient received surgery on the same day he was examined by the doctor. I cannot forget his smiling face when we took off his eye shield the next day. Just yesterday, he could not walk by himself, but today he was able to walk on his own. When I gave him the thumbs up, he pointed at my thumb and confidently shouted out “One!” It was the most memorable moment during the Mozambique Eye Camp.
I was surprised to learn how many people’s lives can be impacted by restoring a person’s sight. It is life-transforming not only for that person, but also for their families. And it is also a life-changing experience for those who participated in this work.
2025 Eye Camp Schedule
Note: All following dates are subject to change. Specific trip dates will be available upon submission and review of your volunteer application.
