US-Based Cure Blindness Project Partners With Bihar’s Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital to Eradicate Blindness

Patna: Aiming to eliminate curable blindness in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, the US-based Cure Blindness Project has formally partnered with Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, run by the Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya Charitable Trust. The agreement, signed on Monday, sets a five-year target to provide critical eye care services across the region.

To mark the occasion, a digital wall was inaugurated at the hospital’s campus in Mastichak. Speaking at the event, Patrick Stephen, Associate Vice President of the Cure Blindness Project, expressed his admiration for Akhand Jyoti’s world-class medical facilities. He noted that he had not expected such an advanced healthcare infrastructure in a rural area far from Patna.

The Cure Blindness Project, which has been working in the field of eye treatment and blindness prevention for the past three decades, has pledged full support for Akhand Jyoti’s campaign. Under the hospital’s Vision 2030 initiative, 2 million eye surgeries are planned over the next five years, with an annual target of 400,000 procedures. The US-based organisation will assist in achieving this goal, along with capacity-building efforts in ophthalmology.

Shefali Sharma, Country Director of the Cure Blindness Project, highlighted that Akhand Jyoti’s eye care facilities meet international standards. Currently, the two organisations are collaborating on cataract surgeries, but future cooperation will expand to other eye treatments, training programmes, and capacity development.

Dr Ajit Poddar, Medical Director of Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, said the partnership would significantly strengthen efforts to prevent blindness. The hospital has set an ambitious target of training 1,500 girls as optometrists over the next five years while screening 12 million people for eye-related ailments by 2030. Presently, Akhand Jyoti performs 100,000 eye surgeries annually, with 80% of these procedures provided free of charge.

The signing ceremony was attended by Patrick Stephen, Shefali Sharma, Partnership Director Deepak Sharma, Akhand Jyoti’s Medical Director Dr Ajit Poddar, and CEO Mrityunjay Tiwari.