After seeing patients lose their sight while waiting for treatment

For some patients, the biggest barrier to saving their eyesight is not the treatment itself. It is reaching a doctor before the condition becomes too serious. In parts of Gujarat, people living in remote villages may delay eye check-ups because of travel costs, limited awareness or difficulty accessing specialists. By the time they reach a hospital, a condition that could have been treated earlier may have already caused lasting damage.

This is a problem that Dr Bhavin Patel, a retina specialist in Surat, has spent years trying to address. Instead of waiting for patients to find their way to a hospital, he has helped build an outreach system that takes eye screening into villages and brings patients who need treatment to Surat.

According to figures shared in the original report by The Better India, the initiative has conducted more than 30,000 free surgeries and organises nearly 40 screening camps each month. Behind these numbers is an approach built around one simple idea: eye care must reach people before it is too late.