Lighting the Way: Teen Launches Vision-Aid NGO

Inspired by a fifth-grader's vision struggles, 16-year-old Sanjana Chauhan launched Drishti, an NGO focused on eye care for underprivileged communities in India. The initiative provides free eye check-ups and supplies to combat vision impairment, collaborating with healthcare firms to address social and systemic challenges affecting eye health.

Moved by the plight of a fifth-grade girl in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad struggling to read due to poor eyesight, 16-year-old Sanjana Chauhan felt compelled to act. The incident at a Delhi event prompted Chauhan and her friends to found Drishti, an NGO aimed at raising eye care awareness among India's underprivileged.

Driven by statistics showing that over 408 million Indians suffer from vision impairments—and that 80% of these cases are treatable with proper care—Drishti focuses on providing free eye check-ups and spectacles to those in need. Collaborations with top healthcare firms, like Apollo Hospitals, further their reach.

Initial eye examinations often reveal both alarming conditions and life-changing possibilities for those tested. For Sanjana and her team, the mission is clear: restore not just sight, but also independence, dignity, and hope for people across India who need it most.

(With inputs from agencies.)