About CECF
COMMUNITY EYE CARE FOUNDATION (CECF)
The Community Eye Care Foundation is a registered charitable trust under section 12 A of Income Tax (PN/CIT-1/Reg./12A(a)/240/2010- 11/4924) and section 80(G) vide number (PN/CIT1/80G/228/2011-12/2988). Pan No (AABTC 2530 Q)
It has been registered with the charity commissioner as trust registration number E 5532 in Pune from 10 July 2010
The trust runs three fixed vision centres ( Bhavani peth Vision Centre opposite Dulha Dulhan kabrastan, Saswad Vision Centre at Chintamani Hospital saswad & Vision Aid Centre at Bhandarkar raod) and one mobile eye clinic in and around Pune. We provide free eye checking, spectacles and surgery. The focus is on providing comprehensive quality eye care to all irrespective of their ability to pay. We also focus on school children, especially disabled children like deaf, mute, partly blind and physically and mentally challenged and try to ameliorate their ocular problems.
The trust has started a Hospital based community rehabilitation program for prevention of blindness. In each centre 4 community health workers do door-to-door screening of fifty thousand persons. A similar exercise was conducted in Phulenagar-Vishrantawadi area in 2014-2019.
Saswad Vision Centre
The Community Eye Care Foundation’s Saswad Vision Centre in partnership with Operation Eyesight Universal (Shalina CSR grant) was inaugurated on 6th October 2023.
Since November 2023 to October 2025, 35676 individuals were surveyed in their homes in 22 villages of Purandar taluka. 18849 individuals had their vision examined in their homes.
Between October 2023 to November 2025, 1998, persons were examined in vision centre and 2389 were examined in the mobile eye clinic that went to their villages. 704 persons were prescribed spectacles; 243 persons received spectacles free of cost, while 269 persons were dispensed subsidized spectacles. 154 surgeries were performed of which 112 were completely free of cost
We are committed to declaring the Saswad (entire Purandar taluka) area completely avoidable blindness free by April 2026.
Saswad Vision Centre
Bhawani Peth Vision Centre
The Community Eye Care Foundation’s Bhawani peth Vision Centre in partnership with Operation Eyesight Universal (& Cognizant Foundation CSR grant) was inaugurated on 26th January 2023 at the hands of Shri Shravan Hardikar IAS.
From March 2023 to Nov 2025, total of 61,211 people was surveyed of whom 52,296 people (4,318 households) were examined. Amongst these, 1889 cataract cases were identified and 79 were identified as irreversibly blind.
Through this vision centre, 459 cataract surgeries were performed between March 2023-November 2025, of which 349 were free and 110 were heavily subsidised surgeries. In this project, 1200 individuals were prescribed spectacles, 548 children & adults were dispensed spectacles free of cost and 619 individuals were dispensed spectacles at a very subsidized price.
We are committed to declaring the Patra chawl, Rajewadi, Golden city, & Sant Kabir nagar area completely avoidable blindness free by April 2026.
Bhawani Peth VC Team with OEI
Phulenagar Vision Center, Vishrantwadi, Pune
From December 2014 to march 2024 the Phulenagar Vision centre examined 14385 patients (after doing an actual doo-to-door screening of 45553 persons amongst the 62431 surveyed), 7015 were prescribed spectacles and 491nwere advised surgery of whom 457 underwent free or subsidized surgery.
Parvati Vision Center, Parvati Paitha, Pune
Community Eye care Foundation operated a five rupees clinic (Paanch rupaiya dawakhana) at Parvati paitha slum from October 2012 (Navaratri) to March 2020 (discontinued during Covid lockdown) with Vardhaman Manas Seva Kendra and performed 12-18 cataract surgeries free of cost every month in that period.
Mobile Eye Clinic
Between 2019-2024, the Community Eye Care Foundation has conducted 135 eye camps, examining more than 55,000 patients. Through these camps, over 4,900 spectacles and 120 low-vision aids (LVA) have been distributed, reflecting the foundation’s strong and consistent commitment to improving vision and eye health in the community.
In 2025, up to November 30th, the foundation has already conducted 67 eye camps, examined 9,786 patients and distributed 1,617 spectacles, marking a significant expansion in outreach for the year.
| Year | Total Camps | Patients Examined | Spectacles Distributed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 – TILL NOVEMBER 30TH |
70 | 13016 | 1,983 GLASSES |
| 2024 | 67 | 9,786 | 1,617 Glasses |
| 2023 | 30 | 9,861 | 939 Glasses, 8 LVA |
| 2022 | 47 | 10,847 | 896 Glasses, 87 LVA |
LN4
A mechanical prosthesis that is a boon for amputees. It allows the wearer to use the mechanical prosthetic arm to write, eat with spoon and even ride a bike.
Community Eye Care Foundation in partnership with Rotary Club of Poona Downtown and Ellen Meadows Foundation has so far distributed 497 such prosthetic hands in partnership with Rtn K V Mohan Kumar, Bengaluru; the Rotary Calcutta Presidency; the Rotary Delhi South Central with Dr Suraj Prakash Arogya Kendra, Faridabad; the Sane Guruji Arogya Kendra, Pune; Bhartiya Jain Sanghatana, Agra; Rotary Info city Bhubaneswar; Mahavir International Service Trust Nagpur; Rotary Jamnagar; Jeevan Jothi Trust Erode; Rotary Indore Uptown; Rotary Jaipur Majesty; Rotary New Kalyan and the Mahavir International Marudhar Ahmedabad.
Vision Aid Center
A total of 890 optical, non-optical and electronic aids were dispensed to the eligible beneficiaries that cost around 81,89,400 INR for free of cost till date.
These are the details of the blind & severely visually impaired persons screened and helped in 2021-25. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity | Total | |||
| Patients with low vision screened and counselled. | 2,046 | |||
| LVA beneficiaries | 65 | |||
| Optical devices dispensed | 451 | |||
| Non-optical devices distributed | 251 | |||
| Video magnifiers dispensed | 41 | |||
| Smart vision glasses distributed | 57 | |||
| Computers distributed | 25 | |||
| Total assistive devices dispensed | 890 | |||
| Blind schools screened (in and around Pune) | 13 | |||
| Patients trained in Orientation & Mobility | 439 | |||
CECF Photo Gallery
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Free Cataract surgery
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Eye Camp for deaf and mute children
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Color vision testing in eye camp
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Eye Checkup camp for deaf children
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Spectacle dispensing at Apang Kalyankari Sanstha
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Vision testing
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Spectacles to hearing impaired students
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Mobiile eye clinic
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Free Retina examination for children
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Near vision testing
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Free cataract surgery
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Visual acuity testing
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Door to door screening
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Color vision testing
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Distance vision testing
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Poona School for Blind
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Eye Camp in blind school
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History taking for blind children
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Eye examination
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Free Low vision aid distribution
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Free Low vision aid distribution
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Poona School for Blind Boys
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Eye Camp in girls school
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Free cataract surgery
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Free smart phone distribution for blind students
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Cane training
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LOW vision and Rehabilitation orientation program
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Smart phone distribution
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Teaching How to serve cup of tea
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Prisoners camp
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Spectacle distribution
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Spectacle
distribution for
Multiple disability -
Diabetic Camp
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Teaching how to use portable video magnifier to Low Vision Students
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Donate
To pay by direct Bank transfer or deposit payment in any HDFC Bank branch in favour of 'Community Eye Care Foundation'
Indian contributions
Bank name: HDFC BANK
Account No:12101450000023
IFSC Code RTGS/IFSCNEFT:HDFC-0001210
MICR-Code:11240026
Survey No 21/6 Ground Floor
Mit Marathon,
Bund Garden Road, Pune - 411 001
Overseas contributions
Bank name: STATE BANK OF INDIA
Account No:40147630415
FCRA Declaration
Supporters
Our Trustees
Governing Council
| Prof. A.N. Kulkarni | Jitubhai Mehta | |||
| Mrs. Sujata Bhave | Shabbir Jamnagarwala | |||
| Oni Kakajiwala | Suvajit Karmakar | |||
| Pradeepbhai Munot | Mr. Vasant Deshpande | |||
| Dr. Bageshri Gogate | Dr. Parikshit Gogate | |||
| Dr. Ashok Mahadik | ||||
Advisors
| Lt.Gen. Dr. Prof. Madhwa Tutakne | ||||
| Prof. GVS Murthy London | ||||
| Dr. Rajiv Khandekar- Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Nafisa Kakajiwala | ||||
Our Work
Eye camps
Eye camps with Rotary Club and Local
Social Groups to diagnose and treat refractive errors (myopia and presbyopia) and cataract. Since January 2019 CECF had 129 eye camps with the mobile eye clinic and examined 22,225 people and dispensed 1740 spectacles and 74 low vision aids to students free of cost.
Fixed vision centres
Fixed vision centres which are fully equipped in
Tandulwadi, Baramati.
Bhavani peth, Saswad Pune
Community Eye Care Foundation
Bhavani Peth Vision Centre
Address : opposite dulha dulhan kabristan
near Roshan Masjid Pune - 411002
Mobile No : 8265027323
Saswad Vision Centre, Chintamani Hospital, Saswad.
Address : Amar Chowk Beside Moje Samose SaswadMobile No : 8983347467
The Community Eye Care Foundation’s Saswad Vision Centre in partnership with Operation Eyesight Universal (Shalina CSR grant) was inaugurated on 6th October 2023.
Since November 2023 to October 2025, 35676 individuals were surveyed in their homes in 22 villages of Purandar taluka. 18849 individuals had their vision examined in their homes.
Between October 2023 to November 2025, 1998, persons were examined in vision centre and 2389 were examined in the mobile eye clinic that went to their villages. 704 persons were prescribed spectacles; 243 persons received spectacles free of cost, while 269 persons were dispensed subsidized spectacles. 154 surgeries were performed of which 112 were completely free of cost
We are committed to declaring the Saswad (entire Purandar taluka) area completely avoidable blindness free by April 2026.
Life Line Mobile Eye Clinic
A fully equipped bus that has all the eye diagnostic equipments visit these places once a week and provides eye care to the needy and poor.
Community Eye Care Foundation Mobile van
A fully equipped Mobile Van with low vision
trial sets, We visit to other clinics, Hospitals, and institution and dispense Low Vision Aids and our
expert team guides the patients about further rehabilitation.
School children eye screening
School eye screening was done with help of Rotary Club of
Pune Central and R otary Club of Poona Downtown to
diagnose and treat refractive errors and other ocular
abnormalities in school children and spectacles we re given
free of cost for children. Total 10871 School going children
and 414 special children were screened in June December
2022.
School eye screening
School eye screening of rural and urban (slum) children in and around Pune. The emphasis is not just on examining these children, but in treating their visual disability by medicines and spectacles and very rarely surgery. Our research has shown that providing correct pair of spectacles to children with significant refractive errors improves their academic performance.
Children with disability
Children with disability,
learning disabled (mentally challenged) and physically disabled are examined for their eye and ear problems as they are more common in such children. Proper treatment helps in ameliorating and additional disability and improves functioning.
CECF examined physically challenged students (in Aug -Oct 2019) to assess ocular morbidity and functional vision in these children. We checked 190 students and dispensed spectacles to 33 students.
Schools for learning disabled: We conducted the camp for learning disabled from 2013 to 2020 where every year. In the year 2019-2020 we had examined 395 students and dispended spectacles to 99 children having refractive error.
14 schools for hearing impaired, 929 students, were screened in 2012-2013 with a follow-up the next year in 2013-14. 252 were dispensed with spectacles and low vision aids, a great boon for them as they rely exclusively on their sight for communication. Again in 2020, we examined a hearing impaired school of 105 students,and dispensed 8 spectacles to those with significant refractive errors.
Special schools for the Blind: Our team has examined all the students in 4 school for blind in 2015-16 and again in 2019 as childhood blindness and visual impairment accounts for enormous burden. We have chosen all the 5 schools for the blind in Pune district and 3 in Nashik district, to assess the causes of severe visual impairment and blindness in students attending schools for the blind and to identify those whose vision could be improved by optical aids. On dispensing such aids, to assess the improvement in their vision function especially day to day activities.
Cataract
Cataract free and subsidized (sight restoring) and glaucoma (sight saving) surgery for the poor.
Health education
Public health Activities that promote health and provide information and training about hazards in the environment that would ↓ exposure, illness, or disease. health education.
nursing Education to gain knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes for maintaining and improving health in patients.
Health education of the community especially on hearing and vision problems.
Educating Healthcare Professionals
Educating eye and ear care professionals on aspects of community medicine. We conduct training for optometrists, Anganwadi workers, immunisation workers, health care workers, school teachers.
Rural eye hospital in Village Tandulwadi.
Rural eye hospital in old age home in Village Tandulwadi, taluka Baramati.
Gyanba Borawake Vriddashram’s (old aged home) Mokashi Memorial Hospital. Dr. Parikshit Gogate and team have been visiting the hospital every month since May 1999. Around 100-120 patients are examined and 20-35 surgeries done at subsidized cost.
On 9 occasions more than 100 surgeries were done free for birthdays of Shri. Sharadchandra Pawar (2009-12) on 12 December and Shri. Ajitdada Pawar (2010-14) on 22nd July. Every Wednesday an eye OPD is conducted for more than 80 patients.
Research Work
A) HIV- Nari project
Four hundred and forty-one individuals were enrolled in the study, of which 55 (12.5%) were ART naïve, 53 (12%) were initiated on ART within 6 months and 333 (75.5%) were on ART for more than 6 months. Nearly half of them (227/441; 51.5%) were males. Median age and CD4 count at study participation were 44 years (IQR: 38-49) and 473.5 cells/mm3 (IQR: 281.8-685.0) respectively. Of the total, 374 (84.8%) were literate and 334 (75.7%) were employed. Two hundred and seventy four (62.1%) were married and living with spouse. Median duration of HIV infection detected under national program in participants was 7.9 years (IQR: 2.7-12.1). Of the 386 participants on ART, 148 (38.3%) were on tenofovir based regimen and 173 (44.8%) were on zidovudine-based regimen at enrollment. The median duration on antiretroviral treatment was 7 years (IQR: 2.5-9.8). As per the NACO technical guidelines, the ART regimen was either switched or substituted among 184 (47.7%) participants due to various reasons such as treatment failure, toxicity, anti-tubercular treatment or change in the national guidelines. Diabetes was present in 16 (3.7%) and hypertension in 157 (35.7%) participants respectively. Thirteen (3%) participants were reactive for syphilis (RPR and TPHA). Cytomegalovirus IgM and Toxoplasma IgM antibodies were detected in 15 (3.4%) and 12 (2.7%) participants respectively.
B) Assam Project
Among 2699 permanent tea pickers at the three estates, 1398 (51·8%) met the age and work criteria and were eligible for the screening eye examination. For details of stratification by age, sex, and productivity, see the appendix. Among these, 1297 (92·8%) completed the examination. 63 (4·51%) were absent and 38 (2·72%) declined. Based on the examination, 751 (57·9%) workers were eligible for the trial and underwent stratification and randomisation, with 376 (50·1%) participants allocated to the intervention group and 375 (49·9%) to the control group. Among intervention participants, 361 (96·0%) received their allocated treatment, as did 346 (92·3%) of control participants. All participants completed follow-up and were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.
Research in community
Research in community eye care with special emphasis on childhood blindness and hearing impairment.
