Technology Impacts How OneSight Is Bringing Vision Care to the World

There are over 1 billion people in the world who are in need of vision care and have no access to them—either because they can’t afford it or they don’t have access to the right medical care. This is why OneSight is committed to eradicating the global vision care crisis.

We all know the value of clear eyesight is invaluable; it helps us perform better in our day-to-day activities, unleashing the power of our human potential. In an exclusive interview with NonProfit PRO, K-T Overbey, president and executive director of OneSight, told us that students perform twice as well with clear eyesight, and workers are 35% more productive when they have clear eyesight, which leads to the spiral effects of being able to support their family and communities.

At OneSight, the organization is proactively identifying populations where people do not have access to quality care they need; so it has been really focused on providing access through charitable clinics where people would receive free eye care or a long-term sustainable solution where the organization ensures that eyeglasses that are available are affordable in that community.

“We are manufacturing glasses on site, so people actually choose the frames that fit them best and suit their taste. We then put in the proper prescription,” Overbey said. We've also now moved to a focus on sustainable solutions where we've established self-sustaining vision centers across nine countries to provide permanent access to vision care.”

Using Technology to Boost Vision Care

As technology evolves throughout the sector, it revolutionizes how nonprofits are achieving their missions. OneSight understands that technology is starting to transform the sector, so it is doing its best to be proactive around identifying technologies that will help it advance its mission in terms of reaching more people with affordable and high-quality care.

“We're already finding that there are new technologies that are more portable, so we have people actually hand-carrying on machinery, which enables us to go to more remote places. We're looking at technologies that don't require consistent power supply or a Wi-Fi connection,” Overbey said. “We are looking at ways so that if you have more portable or smaller equipment, it would allow you to go to places that you wouldn't be able to. With large machinery, we're also looking at how we can start reaching people in even more remote places. So as an example, we recently did a test of drone delivery of eyeglasses.”

OneSight is also looking to partner with people who are thinking about future technologies who will help improve the quality of vision exams. This is important, because there’s a combination of technology for improved quality of care and how to reach people who have not been reached before.

“Technology needs to be a key strategy in a key focus area. I don't know what those technologies will be, but I know that there will be major breakthroughs, and they will make a tremendous impact,” Overbey said. “We all know that the pace of innovation is accelerating. OneSight is really committed to closing this vision care gap for good, and that's going to rely on a flexible set of solutions, where the long-term solution, we believe, is implying a sustainable model.”

If you want to hear more about technology, Michael Smith, senior director of product supply and logistics of OneSight, will be a panelist at NonProfit POWER, giving his insights on how nonprofits can navigate the new nonprofit landscape. To see if you qualify for this high-caliber event, click here.