About Us

A simple pair of reading glasses, unlocking productivity worldwide

Vision Action Fund works to solve uncorrected near-vision loss at scale — and help reconnect tens of millions of adults with their livelihoods, income, and independence.

Near-vision loss affects nearly every adult on the planet.

As adults enter their late thirties, a nearly universal phenomenon occurs: seeing up close becomes difficult and near-vision tasks are harder to accomplish. Over 1.8 billion people worldwide have age-related near-vision loss, and more than 800 million people cannot access the simple fix: a pair of reading glasses. If you live in a high-income country, you’ve never had to think about the solution: an affordable pair of reading glasses can be easily obtained at a nearby pharmacy or shop.

But in many low- and middle-income countries, that infrastructure doesn't exist. In Bangladesh, for example, more than four million garment workers spend their days threading needles, stitching seams, and trimming threads with precision and care. However, an inability to see clearly makes these tasks far more difficult and time-consuming, which has tangible financial consequences: first-time reading glasses wearers in Bangladesh earned ~33% more income than the control group.

Our Model

We connect capital, systems, and people with livelihoods.

Vision Action Fund aims to make reading glasses a routine, self-sustaining part of life in low- and middle-income countries — and make uncorrected near-vision impairment a thing of the past within the next decade. We serve as the link between individuals, governments, and private markets to drive systems change that no single party can advance alone.

Individuals

Generating demand for reading glasses — building awareness that age-related near-vision loss is common and correctable — and delivering first pairs of reading glasses through trusted channels like health workers, community-based networks, and religious institutions.

Government

Eliminating outdated regulations that require prescriptions for ready-made reading glasses, and integrating vision screening and glasses into public systems, especially national health systems.

Markets

Catalyzing a vibrant private market so that reading glasses are widely available for sale at $2 per pair or less.

Why Vision Action Fund?

Since 2023, Vision Action Fund has scaled, tested, and de-risked interventions in 20 countries, with a heavy focus on Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.  Formerly known as Eyeglasses Initiative, our shift to Vision Action Fund reflects our most ambitious phase yet as we scale the cost-effective models we have tested and proven to work — and expand our reach and impact to more communities.

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Our Impact to Date

0.0M
Glasses distributed
0K
Health workers trained
0+
Nonprofit partners
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Countries served

Our
Work

Nigeria

In Nigeria, Vision Action Fund is supporting the “JigiBola 2.0” Presidential Initiative, in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), to ensure primary healthcare workers are trained to screen patients for near-vision impairment and dispense free reading glasses on-the-spot.

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, Vision Action Fund has supported Last Mile Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to embed eye health into the national program for community health workers as part of their non-communicable diseases services. Adults receive vision screenings within their communities alongside health checks for hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Tanzania

Vision Action Fund is supporting Maisha Meds to drive sales of reading glasses in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Tanzania by supporting local pharmacies with the technology to accurately supply, screen, and sell reading glasses to community members.

India

Vision Action Fund is supporting partners to train community-based health workers, social workers, and primary health workers across India to screen and distribute reading glasses.

Our Team

  • Abigail Steinberg

    Executive Director

  • Anne Njoroge

    Program Manager, Kenya

  • Conor Leary

    Chief of Staff

  • Lainey Freels

    Senior Manager, Communications

  • Madeleine Siegal

    Senior Executive Assistant

  • Philile Shongwe

    Senior Manager, Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

  • Sarah Snidal

    Associate Director, Programs

  • Dr. Rebecca Weintraub

    Faculty Director of the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard University & Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School

  • Dr. Julie Rosenberg

    Deputy Director of the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard & Associate Director of Better Evidence at Ariadne Labs

  • David Chute

    Co-Founder and CEO of ThinOptics & President of i2C Ventures

  • Dr. Jordan Kassalow

    Co-Founder of EYElliance & Founder of VisionSpring

  • Reads Fahs

    Executive Chairman, National Vision, Inc