Partnership in Action: Expanding Access to Eyeglasses in Uganda

We’re energized by our continued partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the Government of Uganda.

In an interview with Solutions Insight's Lab's Ambika Samarthya-Howard, Dr. Neil Buddy Shah, CHAI’s CEO, explains:

“In Uganda, we’re collaborating with EYElliance and government to conduct presbyopia (near vision) screening and deliver reading glasses… (Reading) glasses can be delivered cheaply and efficiently by adding them to government community health workers’ (CHW) routines—and CHWs can reach people who would otherwise never seek care.”

👉 Read the full interview here

Since that conversation, the partnership has taken important steps forward. Together, EYElliance and CHAI successfully advocated for policy change, and reading glasses are now included in Uganda’s national community health worker package of services. With the Ministry of Health, we’re piloting this approach to generate operational evidence and inform national scale-up.

At the same time, we’ve collaborated with UNESCO and The World Bank to mobilize domestic financing for school-based vision screening and eyeglass provision for children—ensuring that no child’s education is held back because of poor vision.

Uganda is laying the groundwork for nationwide access to eyeglasses—through community health systems, schools, and strengthened private sector pathways. With technical leadership from EYElliance and CHAI’s in-country expertise, these milestones represent real momentum toward a future where everyone who needs glasses can get them.

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