India

S eva Canada works with local partners across India to increase access to high-quality, affordable eye care—especially for people who would otherwise go without it.

Our Partners in India:

Aravind Eye Care System 

Aravind Eye Care System is a global leader in high-quality, high-volume, self-sustaining, community-oriented eye care. In 1976, with Seva’s help, retired ophthalmologist Dr. Venkataswamy (Dr.V), a Seva Co-founder, established Aravind Eye Care System in Madurai, India.

Aravind pioneered a financial model that ensures everyone receives the same quality of care, regardless of their ability to pay. Fees from paying patients help cover the cost of care for those who cannot afford it. This inventive cross-funding model is the model that all Seva Canada-supported programs utilize in ways that are contextually appropriate.

Lions Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology (LAICO)

LAICO, the training and consulting arm of our partner Aravind Eye Care System in India, is a vital resource for supporting partners worldwide. LAICO’s work strengthens all aspects of service delivery, from management systems to clinical care and equipment maintenance. Seva Canada collaborates with LAICO on epidemiologic and community-based research.
Starting in 2025, Seva Canada began supporting LAICO’s Leap Series as a part of our Evidence in Practice program. Leaps are a year-long intensive training programs intended to target and improve one aspect of eye care delivery.

Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH)

Seva Canada began working in partnership with the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital Ophthalmology Unit (DMCH) based in Ludhiana, in the Punjab region in 2025. DMCH is a non-profit hospital whose Ophthalmology Unit provides a full range of eye care services for infants to adults.

• Together, we are working to expand access to care by:
  Establishing Community Eye Centres (CECs) to provide primary eye care services in more remote locations
• Supporting a comprehensive pediatric eye care program

Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH)

Seva Canada began working with Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in 2014. Based in Delhi, Shroffs is one of North India’s leading eye care institutions that provides comprehensive care services to infants, children and adults. It’s also a hub for clinical personnel training, and clinical and public health eye care research.
Seva Canada partners with SCEH on research initiatives and mentorship of the DMCH program.

Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO)

Seva Canada has partnered with PRASHO since 2023. Based in Hyderabad, PRASHO is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based interventions in the field of public health to promote self-sustaining development and improve community well-being.
Co-founded by Dr. G.V.S. Murthy, one of the world’s leading experts in community ophthalmology, PRASHO gathers evidence and shares promising practices to improve eye health worldwide.

Through our Evidence in Practice program, we support the PRASHO team to mentor ten eye hospitals (five in India and five in Nepal) in operational research; helping teams use data to improve patient care and strengthen health systems. The project goal is to build the capacity of these hospitals to design, conduct, and apply research on their own.