OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation celebrates World Health Organization recognition of Asha Kirana as a blueprint for advancing global vision carE

Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland (8 October 2026) - On World Sight Day, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizes the transformative impact of the Asha Kirana initiative in Karnataka, India, and its potential to inspire the expansion of integrated, people-centered eye care around the world.

Presented today in recognition of World Sight Day, ahead of its anticipated publication on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, WHO's report, Advancing Integrated, People-Centered Eye Care, identifies Asha Kirana as a compelling example of how government leadership, supported by strong public-private partnerships and effective philanthropic initiatives, can expand the reach of integrated eye care and drive lasting systemic change.

Launched by the Government of Karnataka to address barriers to vision care, Asha Kirana has evolved from a pilot program into a statewide public health initiative. Built around a three-tier model, the program brings care closer to communities through vision screenings delivered by ASHA community health workers, comprehensive eye examinations and spectacle dispensing at Drishti Kendras vision centers, and referral pathways to district hospitals for cataract surgery and the management of more complex eye conditions.

OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation has supported the Government of Karnataka as its technical partner in developing and piloting the initiative, contributing expertise, capacity building, equipment and support for the establishment of vision care infrastructure.

Aligned with the ambitions of WHO's SPECS 2030 initiative, Asha Kirana has grown from a proof of concept into a fully institutionalized statewide model for integrated, people-centered eye care. The Government of Karnataka has embedded the program within its public health infrastructure through the establishment of 393 permanent vision centers serving the State's 63 million residents, supported by the training of 40,000 ASHA workers to deliver door-to-door vision screenings. To date, the initiative has reached more than 14 million people through community-based vision screening, facilitated the provision of more than 450,000 free eyeglasses, and enabled more than 250,000 cataract surgeries, demonstrating how sustainable, system-integrated solutions can expand access to quality eye care.

"We're proud to be one of the few progressive states in India with a clear vision of becoming blindness-free," commented Shri U. T. Khader Fareed, Minister of Health, Government of Karnataka."Our systematic approach to improving access to healthy vision is now a documented case study for a holistic approach to eye care in India. The 393 Drishti Kendras spread across community health centers, taluka hospitals and district hospitals are in line with the mission of Asha Kirana: to prevent and mitigate avoidable blindness and visual impairment in Karnataka by addressing the two conditions responsible for most avoidable vision loss, uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts. We're thankful to the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation for partnering with us in our journey toward institutionalizing Asha Kirana, a successful model of integrating eye care into the public health system."

"The significance of Asha Kirana extends far beyond eye care in Karnataka," added Dr Mohammed Asheel, Country Focal Point, Eye Care, World Health Organization India. "The initiative provides an example of how WHO's vision for Integrated People-Centered Eye Care can be operationalized in a resource-constrained setting. Asha Kirana demonstrates how these principles can be translated into operational strategies, including community-based service delivery, workforce empowerment, the use of technology to strengthen accountability, targeted approaches to equity and the creation of enabling environments. The model shows the importance of systems thinking, political commitment and the translation of policy principles into operational mechanisms. For this reason, Asha Kirana offers valuable lessons for documentation, learning and adaptation in other settings, and illustrates how WHO frameworks can be translated from policy into implementation within a public health program."

"Asha Kirana demonstrates the extraordinary impact that can be achieved when governments, communities and NGOs come together around a shared goal," said Alessandra Senici, Head of OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation. "This World Sight Day, we're very proud that the World Health Organization has recognized this program as a leading example of effective partnership and sustainable eye care delivery. Together with WHO, we look forward to continuing to build on the success of Asha Kirana and expanding it to other regions of India and, potentially, to other countries in the future."

As the global community marks World Sight Day and renews its commitment to ensuring eye health for all, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is also supporting initiatives around the world to expand access to sustainable vision care, strengthen local eye health systems and raise awareness of the importance of good vision. Across Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America, Foundation-supported activities are bringing vision screenings, glasses, school-based eye health programs and community clinics where they are needed most. These initiatives reflect the Foundation's commitment to expanding access to vision care and helping more people benefit from the life-changing power of good vision.

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