Along the Thailand-Myanmar border, approximately 200,000 people live in an uncertain world. They have settled in temporary shelters, or migrate back-and-forth on a daily basis in search of economic opportunity, health care, and education for their children. With so many competing needs, access to quality eye care and glasses has been scarce or non-existent. OneSight, in collaboration with local and international organizations, is working to change that and bring a permanent solution to an endemic problem.

For the second year in a row, we worked at Mae Tao Clinic with Suwannimit Foundation (SNF), Essilor Vision Foundation and Top Charoen to further establish the location as a center of excellence in the region. This year, we piloted how to transition our efforts into a self-sustaining model to provide the community with more permanent access. This is part of our 3-year strategy which aims to provide quality vision care access to displaced people in this large region through three different settings: temporary shelters along the Thailand-Myanmar border, the Mae Tao Clinic patient population, and students in Migrant Learning Centers.  Each setting has a distinct need and demands a customized approach. 

Our charitable clinic, in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee, was able to provide over 2,300 people in need with eye exams and glasses. To really understand the impact of our clinics, however, one must look beyond the numbers and to stories like Luboo’s. It’s stories like these that give meaning to the work that we do and add context to the impact that clear sight can truly have on someone’s life. 

A pair of glasses can dramatically improve a person’s quality of life. Give the gift of sight to someone along the Thailand-Myanmar border for as little as $10.