2 hrs ago
Assam's Post Offices Bring Basic Eye Care Closer
Some people in Assam were having trouble seeing things up close but could not easily visit an eye clinic.
A programme is now letting them get their eyes checked at local post offices.
VisionSpring Foundation and India Post are running the pilot at five locations.
By July, almost 9,000 people had been screened.
More than 6,400 people needed glasses for age-related blurry near vision.
Most of the people who received glasses had never worn them before.
The glasses have helped people read, study, work and see religious books more clearly.
The organisers are now deciding how to keep the service running and possibly expand it.
A VisionSpring Foundation–India Post pilot is offering eyesight screening and reading glasses at five Assam post offices.
Nearly 9,000 people had been screened by July, with 6,421 diagnosed with presbyopia and given eyeglasses.
About 82% of spectacle recipients were wearing glasses for the first time.
The service is reaching low-income residents, including some tea-garden workers who may struggle to access clinics.
Organisers are considering incentive or paid models to make the programme sustainable and potentially expand it.
- Who
- VisionSpring Foundation and India Post, along with accredited social eye care workers such as Bandana Devi, are running the service for residents of Assam.
- What
- A pilot programme is screening eyesight at post offices and providing reading glasses to people with presbyopia and other vision problems.
- Where
- Five post offices in Assam, including Baihata post office, are participating.
- When
- The programme began in December 2025; nearly 9,000 people had been screened as of July.
- Why
- Post offices are often easier and more familiar to reach than eye clinics, helping reduce barriers involving travel, time and the cost of care.
Key facts
- Organisations
- VisionSpring Foundation and India Post
- Pilot locations
- Five post offices in Assam
- People screened
- Nearly 9,000 as of July
- Presbyopia cases
- 6,421 people, or approximately 72% of those screened
- First-time glasses users
- 82% of people who received spectacles
- Average beneficiary household income
- Approximately Rs 7,000 per month
- Lower-income households
- 41% of beneficiaries came from households earning less than Rs 5,000 per month
Quotes
Romesh Chandra Sharma
Local priest and beneficiary of the eye-testing service
“There have been a lot of footfalls since I began working on the programme. People here suffer from short-sightedness and vision problems. I have seen over 3,000 people, and many are happy after coming here.”
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“I can read my religious texts better now and it is proving a boon.”
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Sources
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