Uncorrected refractive error is a leading cause of vision impairment. We use and continuously strengthen our Vision Access Index to map where correction is hardest to access, then turn that evidence into better planning and funding decisions.
Glasses work. Yet whether someone can see clearly still depends on where they live. What's missing is a way to reach everyone who needs them, and the county-level data to see who is being missed.
Short-sightedness can turn a blackboard into a blur. Drag the handle to see the difference glasses make.
This is an illustration, and real vision varies from person to person. 6/6 on a Kenyan eye chart is what many people call 20/20. The amber line marks 6/12: the World Health Organization counts vision worse than this as impaired.
How we work
Primary pillar
The Vision Access Index, our core evidence tool, brings together county-level data on vision need and access to eye care. We maintain and strengthen it over time, and use the evidence to support policy and planning conversations with health decision-makers to ensure equitable resource allocation in remote, marginalised and underserved communities.
Supporting
We work with universities and training institutions across healthcare, engineering and data science to strengthen research capacity and the eye care evidence base. These partnerships will help us validate, update and strengthen the Vision Access Index as new data and field evidence become available.
Supporting
We plan screening days with county health teams, choosing locations the Index flags as underserved. Each day tests our assumptions on the ground, gives students supervised clinical hours, and keeps the Index tied to the needs people actually have.
WHO SPECS 2030
The World Health Organization's SPECS 2030 initiative supports a global target: to raise effective refractive error coverage by 40 percentage points by 2030. We've aligned our work with its five pillars: services, personnel, education, cost and surveillance.*
Clinical outreach aimed at remote, marginalised and underserved communities.
Through academic partnerships, we strive to build a trained workforce.
We create public awareness through community outreach programmes and donation drives.
To lower the cost of glasses, we use refurbished donated frames.
The Vision Access Index measures coverage county by county, tracking county-level indicators of vision need and access.
Our core contribution
*Uwiano Africa is independent and is not affiliated with WHO.
Get involved
We are looking for funding partners, research and academic partners, eye-care delivery partners, and data and policy partners.
Partner with usSupport screening days, frame refurbishment and the continued strengthening of the Vision Access Index.
DonateOptometrists, students, data and research specialists, and organisers to help at screening days or with the Index.
Volunteer with usUnahitaji msaada kupata miwani?
Register interest for an upcoming screening. Support is offered subject to location and availability.
Updates
Announcement, November 2026
To close the gap in care, Kenya first needs to know which communities are being missed and why. The Vision Access Index sets this out county by county, and we develop it with the people who plan health services.
Evidence brief, November 2026
What the Index measures, how it works, and how we will strengthen it over time.