International Support
Education
The ASCRS Foundation seeks to address not just individual cases of cataract blindness, but rather to fight its root cause: the shortage of eye surgeons in the developing world. The solution to this issue is two-fold: to create world-class medical centers where efficient doctors can establish a presence; and secondly to focus on education—raising the local standards for both patient care and physician training. Through our partnership organizations, we’re working in multiple countries to effect a lasting change in the treatment of global cataract blindness.
Creating Partnerships with Impact
A lack of equipment, especially operating microscopes, is one of the biggest barriers to expanding cataract surgery access in Ethiopia. Through a partnership with Carl Zeiss Meditec and the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP), the ASCRS Foundation's Master Trainer Program places equipment where it can do the most good.
The Foundation believes the strongest model pairs country-wide, coordinated training with the right equipment in the right rural areas. Alongside our partners, we're improving physician training and support while directing equipment placement to maximize patient benefit.
Surgeons interested in global ophthalmology can contact our international partners below about volunteer opportunities.
Master Trainers Program
Launched in 2016, the Master Trainer Program brings together Ethiopia's six leading teaching ophthalmologists—its five residency directors plus the Senior Surgeon at the ASCRS Foundation's Sinskey Eye Institute—to strengthen surgical instruction and grow the pipeline of surgical ophthalmologists nationwide.
Equipment shortages have long undercut this training: functional microscopes tend to cluster in premium private clinics serving wealthy urban patients, pulling newly trained surgeons toward the capital's affluent neighborhoods instead of the communities that need them most.
To counter this, the Foundation trains residents in manual small-incision cataract surgery (MSICS)—a high-volume, lower-cost technique without the risks of phaco surgery—through a standardized curriculum, with the Sinskey Eye Institute providing hands-on clinical rotations.
Our International Partners
To solve the crisis of increasing cataract blindness worldwide, the ASCRS Foundation is tackling its root cause: the global shortage of eye surgeons. Our long-term solution is building local centers of ophthalmic excellence and training, raising standards for both patient care and physician education. We can't do this alone—we're deeply grateful for the global nonprofit partners who share this mission.
ACE Global
ACE Global trains the next generation of surgeons in low- and middle-income countries with the aim of equipping them to build thriving practices that fight blindness in their own communities. Starting in Honduras, they’ve grown a Digital Training Hub, a Distance Surgical Mentorship program, and two Surgical Fellowships through a global network of volunteer mentors.
Countries: Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica.
HelpMeSee
HelpMeSee restores vision to people blinded by cataracts through innovative surgical simulation and training technology. Their tools are transforming how surgeons learn—and how safely patients are treated.
Countries: United States, Mexico, Madagascar, France, India, China.
Cure Blindness Project
Cure Blindness Project builds high-quality, cost-effective eye care systems so people can regain their sight — or never lose it in the first place. Their approach is holistic: training local healthcare workers, equipping them with the right tools, delivering direct patient care, and catching eye disease early through community-level prevention. It's an action-based model that builds local leadership and lasting change from the ground up.
Countries: 30+ countries across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with core operations in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Ethiopia, and Ghana, and expansion underway in South Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Somaliland.
Orbis International
For over four decades, Orbis has trained and inspired eye care professionals where the need is greatest. They operate the world's only Flying Eye Hospital—a teaching hospital aboard an MD-10 aircraft—plus Cybersight, an award-winning telemedicine platform reaching nearly every country on earth.
Countries: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, South Africa, Vietnam, Zambia (2022 programs).
SEE International
provides free eye care and sight-restoring surgery to anyone in need, regardless of ability to pay. By uniting medical volunteers with local partners, they break the cycle of hardship that preventable blindness causes—for patients, families, and entire communities.
Countries: 50+ nations across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nepal, and the Philippines.
Seva Foundation
Since 1978, Seva has built sustainable eye care systems by expanding access, strengthening hospitals, and learning from evidence on the ground. They've served more than 50 million people across 20+ countries and counting. Countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, and more.
Countries We Support: Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, China (Tibet), Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Malawi, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, and United States.
Supporting Education In Ethiopia
In 2019, Dr. Barbara Erny traveled to Addis Ababa to witness firsthand the impact of a board review course made possible through partnership between Cure Blindness Project, Emory University, and the ASCRS Foundation. That year, Ethiopian residents posted the highest exam scores of any African participants. Ethiopia now boasts five residency programs spanning nearly every subspecialty, laying the foundation for truly sustainable, locally-led eye care.
Learn More
Haitian Ophthalmology Initiative
In a nation of 13 million people, only 13 ophthalmologists currently perform cataract surgery—leaving a backlog of over 100,000 patients, many under 22 years old. Partnering with the Haitian Vision Alliance and SEE International, the ASCRS Foundation is helping build an in-country residency program to train Haiti's future surgeons. It's a direct investment in a future where Haitians can see—and heal—their own.
Additional International Partners
Aravind
Central American Eye Clinics
Eye Corps
Friends of Vision
Global Sight Alliance
Moran Eye Institute
Ruth and Lowell Gess Eye Hospital
Vision Care
Explore ASCRS Foundation Resources
Explore the many ways to engage with the ASCRS Foundation. Whether you’re managing your giving, learning about our programs, or meeting the people behind the mission, these resources are designed to help you connect, contribute, and see the impact of your support.
Use the links to the right to access donor tools, discover signature initiatives like Operation Sight, explore legacy and community giving opportunities, review our financial accountability, and get to know the board and team guiding our work.
