History of Unite for Sight
Jennifer Staple founded Unite for Sight in 2000 as a sophomore at Yale University. For three years, Unite For Sight coordinated eye screening and education for the medically underserved population of New Haven, Connecticut. In that time, a model program emerged. To reach more people in need, Unite for Sight started contacting university premedical advisers and student affairs offices with an invitation to start Unite for Sight chapters. Responses flooded in from students throughout the United States. Unite for Sight accepted chapter applications, provided training and manuals, and guided the growth of new chapters to implement vision screenings and education programs throughout North America and, eventually, four other continents.
What started with a single volunteer has now grown to a force of over 4,000 volunteers working through 90 chapters, based at universities, medical schools, corporations, and high schools worldwide, and delivering eye care screening and education programs to over 400,000. Unite For Sight has sponsored 9901 sight-restoring cataract surgeries to date and anticipates reaching 12,000 by the end of 2007. Working with our partner ophthalmologists, we have also provided thousands of people with treatment for infections, glaucoma, pterygium, and refractive error.
-from www.uniteforsight.org
