Preventing Blindness in Coastal Bangladesh

Many people in low- and middle-income countries lack access to basic eye care, despite the substantial health and economic burden imposed by eye diseases. In coastal communities in Bangladesh, rising sea levels and land loss makes eye care even harder to access despite the fact that many eye conditions can be prevented altogether or successfully treated when detected early. 

The Amar Chokh Amar Alo (ACA2) initiative—which translates to “My Eyes, My Light”—is a community-led, AI-assisted eye-care program serving remote coastal communities in Bangladesh. ACA2 combines cutting-edge technology with a community-staffed care model and electronic health records to deliver low-cost eye care, coordinate treatment, and support research. Since initiating services in coastal Bangladesh in January 2025, ACA2 has screened 41,000 community members, detecting and initiating treatment for highly prevalent eye conditions, including refractive errors, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. 

To leverage the advances of ACA2, our team has formed a broad partnership that includes the health tech startup Data Yakka, the Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre, University College London/Moorfields Hospital, the Dr. K. Zaman Bangladesh National Society for the Blind Eye Hospital, and several local and national governmental agencies. Together, our aim is to expand ACA2 to reach 200,000 individuals over two years and enhance the model via:

• Scientific research to elucidate the high rates of eye disease in this region
• Further refinement and optimization of the low-cost ACA2 eye care delivery model
• Expansion to two new sites of eye care within coastal Bangladesh.

These activities are intended to contribute to evidence and policy discussions around preventing and treating eye disease in low- and middle-income countries and yield insights about how the model might be adapted for use elsewhere in Bangladesh and beyond.