Operation Eyesight Universal is a 5-star charity with High Demonstrated Impact. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated, 64 cents area available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci's reasonable range. 

Founded in 1963, Operation Eyesight Universal (Operation Eyesight) is an international development charity that works to prevent blindness and restore sight. It is headquartered in Calgary Alberta. Its mission is to prevent blindness and restore sight. Operation Eyesight reports that 1.1 billion people live with vision loss globally, 90% of which occurs in middle- and low-income countries, and that 90% of all vision loss is avoidable. Operation Eyesight works to eliminate avoidable blindness globally. It currently works in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Zambia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 

In 2024, Operation Eyesight spent $5.2m on its five charitable programs: Community Eye Health, Integrated Eye Health, Hospital Strengthening, Disease Control, and Advocacy and Research. Operation Eyesight does not report a breakdown of its program spending across its programs.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top Impact Charity.

Community Eye Health: Operation Eyesight trains local community health workers who conduct door-to-door eye health screenings, refer patients to vision centres for treatments, and provide health education. In 2024, Operation Eyesight trained 2,010 staff and screened 1,362,269 people through door-to-door surveys. The charity screened 2,360,895 people for eye conditions through hospitals, vision centres, and outreach camps.

Integrated Eye Health: Operation Eyesight works to strengthen areas of overlap between eye care and health care and address the root causes of avoidable vision loss. In 2024, the charity trained 180 primary health care staff in primary eye care. The charity reports it has 4,600 community health workers and volunteers on the ground across all countries where it operates. In 2024, 50,665 youths were linked with primary health care for immunization. The charity also drilled/rehabilitated 129 water boreholes to bring clean water in 2024.

Hospital Strengthening: Operation Eyesight invests in hospital equipment and infrastructure, provides training for healthcare professionals, and establishes vision centres for communities. The vision centres provide eye exams and eyeglasses and refer patients to the base hospital for surgery or other treatment. In 2024, Operation Eyesight constructed one hospital and established/strengthened ten vision centres. The charity also trained 99 nurses, optometrists, vision technicians, and ophthamologists; and upgraded seven outpatient departments. To date, Operation Eyesight has established 216 vision centres.

Disease Control: Operation Eyesight addresses major causes of avoidable vision loss: cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive error, and other conditions. In 2024, Operation Eyesight performed 280,000 surgeries and prescribed 557,673 eyeglasses. The charity reports 233,736 people underwent cataract surgeries and 47,168 people underwent non-cataract surgeries.

Advocacy and Research: Operation Eyesight works to inform national eye health policies to improve care and living conditions for people with sight loss. In 2024, Operation Eyesight attended 15 meetings with partners, policymakers, and national governments. The charity also conducted four presentations for the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight conference in India.

Operation Eyesight Universal’s audited financial statements use activity-based costing, which is a best practice. Ci used the charity’s T3010 filing with the CRA to report international donations.

Operation Eyesight Universal received $6.9m in Canadian donations and $1.9m in international donations in 2024. The charity spent $5.2m on its programs, which is 56% of revenue, and recorded a surplus of $1.4m.

OEU spent $2.0m on fundraising, which is 29% of donations, and $591k on administration, which is 7% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 36%. For every dollar donated, 64 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range.

Operation Eyesight Universal has $6.2m in reserve funds (cash and investments). These reserves can cover annual program costs for one year and two months. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Operation Eyesight Universal for review.

Updated on August 21, 2025 by Liam Chapleau.