A meaningful international collaboration supporting Ophthalmic Mission Trust and Drashti Netralaya, Dahod, in expanding preventive eye-care services for people living in rural and underserved communities.
Access to quality eye care can be challenging for people living in rural and remote areas. To help address this gap, the Government of Japan supported Ophthalmic Mission Trust, which operates Drashti Netralaya, Dahod, through a grant aimed at improving eye-care services for underserved communities.
The initiative helped strengthen community-based eye care by enabling medical teams to reach populations that often face financial and geographical barriers to accessing hospital services.
“The Project for Refurbishing the Medical Van and Setting up the Medical Equipment for Preventing Blindness Caused by Diabetic Retinopathy in Dahod and the Peripheral Districts.”
Financial support provided by the Government of Japan for strengthening mobile eye-care facilities.
The official contract for the project was signed on March 21, 2013.
The project was officially inaugurated in Dahod on January 12, 2015.
On behalf of the Ophthalmic Mission Trust, Directors Dr. Shreya Shah and Dr. Mehul Shah, along with trustees, medical staff, and patients expressed their sincere gratitude for the generous support from the Government of Japan.
Mr. Yoshiaki Ito, Consul-General of Japan in Mumbai, commended the organization's selfless dedication to eye care.
He expressed confidence that the mobile medical unit would significantly help prevent avoidable blindness through early detection and quality treatment.
Mr. Yoshiaki Ito, Consul-General of Japan in MumbaiThe grant was used to equip a mobile medical facility with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment capable of performing mobile fundus photography and high-resolution retinopathy screening in remote, off-grid areas of Gujarat and nearby districts.
The mobile unit enables medical teams to take specialised diagnostic services closer to people who may otherwise struggle to reach a hospital.
A major focus of the project was the early detection of diabetic retinopathy, a serious eye condition associated with diabetes that can lead to vision loss when left untreated.
Medical teams could conduct diabetic retinopathy examinations within rural communities.
Patients at risk could be identified before the condition progressed to severe vision loss.
Simple treatments could be provided where appropriate, with further referrals arranged when required.
Beyond diabetic retinopathy screening, the initiative also helped improve access to general eye-health services in rural communities.
Awareness activities encouraged people to understand common eye diseases, recognise warning signs, and seek timely medical attention.
NABH accreditation for hospital operations
Recognized teaching institute by the National Board of Examinations (NBE)
Approved by District Blindness Control Society (DBCS)
This collaboration between Ophthalmic Mission Trust, Drashti Netralaya, and the Government of Japan represents an important step toward reducing preventable blindness. By bringing eye-care services closer to underserved populations, the project helped strengthen community-based healthcare and supported Drashti Netralaya's continuing mission of making quality eye care accessible to everyone.