About the International Eye Foundation
IEF: Preventing Blindness and Restoring Sight
Since our founding in 1961, our Mission has been to prevent blindness and restore vision in the developing world. For over five decades, we've helped millions of people in more than 60 developing nations, as this timeline in our History section shows.
Worldwide 172 Million people are affected by blindness and preventable eye disease.
In the new millennium, we are forging ahead with new goals and aims, such as improving staffing and administrative support in eye hospitals and clinics in the developing world. But we're also on the frontlines fighting major causes of sight loss, including vitamin A deficiency, trachoma, and "river blindness," many of which attack young children.
To focus our efforts, we have established three specific measures, expressed through our targeted and effective programs: SightReach® Prevention, SightReach Surgical®, and SightReach® Management. We're working to prevent and treat blindness through a combination of medical attention, partnerships with local health organizations, and the enhancement of management and medical skills at treatment facilities. The words and values from our founder, Dr. John Harry King, Jr. continually guide us. He said, "The promotion of peace can come through the prevention of blindness."
The IEF's blindness prevention and sight saving programs are funded by governmental, foundation, and corporate contributors, as well as individuals like you who generously donate online. Our website showcases our successes and our breadth of services to the developing world. Feel free to contact us with specific questions or requests. [ History ]