Mumbai-based Eyebetes Foundation, has launched a large-scale charitable health initiative at the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj to provide eye care and diabetes screening to devotees and frontline personnel attending the religious gathering. With a team of 100 professionals, the non-governmental organisation aims to offer services to around 30,000 pilgrims and 5,000 uniformed personnel.
Eyebetes Foundation, was founded in 2016 by Mumbai’s renowned eye surgeon Dr. Nishant Kumar, who leads the eye care department at P. D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Khar. The NGO works tirelessly towards screening people for diabetes as well as screening for preventable causes of blindness and providing free prescription glasses. Since it’s inception in 2016, more than 1.75 lakh people have benefitted from their charitable work.
According to Dr. Kumar, it is estimated that more than 150 million Indians will soon have diabetes, but more than 50% of them will be possibly undiagnosed. Through the NGO’s studies in the slums and tribal areas, it has been found that more than 90% of people have never had an eye test and are not wearing glasses at all, and those who are wearing glasses are probably wearing glasses, which are incorrect for their eyes resulting in poor vision.
Eyebetes Foundation decided to combine the world’s largest spiritual gathering, Maha Kumbh, with a medical initiative to try and reach out to create awareness and also impact lives. Eyebetes Foundation has set up a large camp in sector 23 of the Maha Kumbh on the Arail Ghat, which is one of the popular spots for a dip in the Sangam.
Around 30,000 pilgrims will receive free finger prick random blood sugar, which acts as a screening for diabetes. They will also get a vision screening to ascertain their habitual visual acuity and then they will get a refraction by our expert opticians to ascertain what are the prescription glasses required for both distance and near.
Following this, they receive eye screening using some of the most sophisticated artificial intelligence-enabled eye cameras where a photograph of the front and back (retina) is taken which is then later reviewed by our eye doctors so that they can screen for common causes of preventable blindness. Following this they are given a prescription for their glasses if needed and every beneficiary also receives a pair of free sunglasses.
Dr. Nishant Kumar and his team are passionate about uniformed personnel working tirelessly to serve society. In Mumbai, around 7000 frontline police personnel benefit from the charitable Eyebetes projects every year and during the Maha Kumbh Dr. Kumar and his team are planning to examine at least 5,000 uniformed police personnel who have been working tirelessly at the site. These personnel will get free prescription glasses, which will be sent to their residential addresses.
Dr. Kumar said, “These have been some of the most trying and difficult circumstances to work in and the stress and difficulties encountered by our frontline personnel means that we owe them a debt and our team would like to help them by providing them free tests for diabetes and cholesterol, free prescription glasses, free UV protection sunglasses as well as screening for common causes of blindness like glaucoma, cataract, diabetes-related eye disease, aging and ocular surface disease and dry eye.”
Another key aspect of the project at the Maha Kumh is to create awareness regarding the need to wear glasses and the Eyebetes team is running a campaign, which is both innovative as well as thought-provoking. They are using the backs of Naga Sadhus as a vision chart to stimulate interest in people to get their eyes checked.
“The intention is that while we examine more than 30,000 people at the Maha Kumbh we should educate at least 10 million, if not more, through our awareness campaigns and initiatives. This kind of impact and awareness can only be created at one of the world’s largest congregations of mankind,” added Dr. Kumar.
The project will continue for another two weeks and so far around 4,000 pilgrims have benefitted from the free tests. The NGO has been trying to focus on women to make sure that they have the right glasses and are screened early for causes of preventable blindness so that they don’t suffer eye problems in the future.
