The Qatar Fund for Development's (QFFD) eye health initiative has exceeded targets and helped millions of children in India and Bangladesh see better.

Millions of children were reached through eye screenings, treatments and training of community leaders.

Thanks to the generosity of QFFD, over 6.5mn eye tests and treatments have been provided to children across India and Bangladesh through the Qatar Creating Vision initiative, a million more than the original target.

Qatar Creating Vision, funded by QFFD and led by international blindness prevention charity Orbis, is an eye health initiative that works to reduce childhood blindness in India and Bangladesh, with the first phase of programmes due to finish this year.

With this latest development, the initiative has stormed past all of its goals ahead of schedule, helping hundreds of thousands to see clearly again.

Through the establishment of a far-reaching school eye screening programme, Orbis and their partners have been able to provide care for children struggling with their sight, thanks to QFFD's support.

Qatar Creating Vision projects have also focused on developing skills within communities to help drive people to eye care services. As a result, over 80,000 teachers, students, religious leaders etc have been trained on how to spot the first signs of vision loss since work began in 2016.

QFFD director-general, Khalifa bin Jassim al-Kuwari commented: "Despite the difficult circumstances we all face in this troubling times due to coronavirus, the Qatar Fund for Development continues to support humanitarian causes around the world both related to the outbreak of coronavirus and other areas of need.

"We are delighted that we have been able to support the Qatar Creating Vision initiative reach even more people than originally planned and with a few more months of the initiative to go with our strategic implementing partner Orbis, even more can be achieved thanks to the charity's hard work.

"Sometimes a simple pair of glasses or a short operation is all it takes to help a child get the most out of their education, or enable an adult to support their family. The Qatar Creating Vision initiative has provided opportunities for people to seek the treatment they deserve."

The CEO of Orbis UK, Rebecca Cronin, commented: "Orbis is proud of our partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development. Their commitment to providing the necessary funding to deliver eye care to those in need has helped us reach millions of children, finding those with vision loss before their sight is affected forever. Our expansion into the camps in southeast Bangladesh has resulted in services being offered to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Many have never had access to eye care before.

"As we adapt and find ways to continue to reach those with sight loss in this trying times, we thank the Qatar Fund for Development, whose support continues to help us bring the services closer to home for those who need it the most."

India and Bangladesh have some of the highest childhood blindness numbers in the world. Accessing treatment can be very expensive or maybe too far away to reach.

With 80% of a child's learning processed through their vision, a lack of sight can mean a lack of education and missed opportunities. Promisingly, there is much that can be done. Half of childhood blindness cases are preventable or treatable which means that vast numbers of children are suffering unnecessarily.

In 2018, thanks to QFFD, Orbis expanded Qatar Creating Vision to provide services to children and adults struggling with sight loss within the Rohingya and local host community in southeast Bangladesh. Demand for the services has been extremely high. In the first three months of this year alone, of the 22,000 who were screened for eye conditions, almost half required some form of treatment including surgery, glasses or antibiotics.