India Post unveils world-first eyewear accessibility pilot in state

Guwahati, Dec 4: A pioneering global initiative to improve access to presbyopic spectacles was launched today at the Khetri Post Office in Kamrup (Metro).

Titled “Post Office Delivers the Gift of Clear Vision,” the project is a collaboration among India Post, the World Health Organisation (WHO) India, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya (SSDN), Guwahati, and Vision Spring.

This first-of-its-kind global pilot initiative aims to address a major public-health gap: worldwide, only one-third of people who need spectacles currently receive them.

Ongoing discussions at the WHO and the United Nations have highlighted the urgent need to expand access to refractive care services.

The initiative seeks to make reading glasses and other spectacles easily accessible by distributing them through non-healthcare points such as post offices. As the lead implementing agency, India Post has selected Assam as the pilot State, with five post offices identified for the initial rollout.

Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya is providing technical leadership for the project, WHO-India is supporting global and national coordination, and Vision Spring is supplying the spectacles for the pilot phase. Together, the collaborating organizations aim to create a scalable model for nationwide and potentially global adoption.

The pilot was formally launched by Abhishek Jain, Director, Postal Services, in the presence of representatives from all partner organizations. Prof (Dr) Harsha Bhattacharjee highlighted SSDN’s technical role. The event saw enthusiastic participation from local residents.