HCP Cure Blindness

What HCP Cure Blindness does

HCP Cure Blindness (dba Cure Blindness Project, legally Himalayan Cataract Project) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 by Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Sanduk Ruit, headquartered in Norwich, Vermont, that eliminates avoidable blindness in low-resource settings. Its core service is high-volume cataract surgery delivered through surgical outreach events across 30+ countries, using the SICS technique pioneered by Dr. Ruit — a 10-minute procedure with an all-in cost of $70 ($25 in materials) per sight-restoring surgery. To date, the organization has performed over 1.8 million sight-restoring surgeries, delivered 20 million+ screenings and basic treatments, trained 25,000+ eye health professionals, and established six eye hospitals. The portfolio includes the National Cataract Outreach Program in Ghana (in partnership with Ghana Health Services), VR-based and Wet Lab surgical training programs (including at six Ethiopian universities funded by Johnson & Johnson), Surgical Outreach Kits for rural deployment, and specialty eye centers such as the Bahir Dar Specialty Eye Center in Ethiopia and the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital Eye Care Center of Excellence in Ghana.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded: HCP does not charge patients, instead monetizing charitable giving from individual donors, corporate donors, foundations (e.g., Latter-Day Saints Charities, Patrick and Tamar Pichette), planned-giving instruments via FreeWill, and institutional/government grants (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, Rosenkranz, Research to Prevent Blindness). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization operates in-country offices in Ethiopia, Ghana, India, and Nepal, and partners with implementing NGOs such as Helen Keller International, Orbis International, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, and the Africa Eye Imaging Centre. In March 2023, HCP acquired SightLife International to extend its work into corneal blindness primary care and advocacy, and in 2024 the organization rebranded from Himalayan Cataract Project to Cure Blindness Project to signal its global scope. Leadership is headed by CEO K-T Overbey, with Dr. Tabin and Dr. Ruit remaining engaged as co-founders and Dr. Matt Oliva as Board Chairman.

Technology and methodology are central rather than purely clinical: the SICS surgical protocol is HCP's procedural backbone; VR simulators and Wet Labs form a structured training cascade; strategic-plan-driven scaling and standardized outreach kits enable reproducible service delivery in remote contexts. Operations span Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Eritrea, Rwanda, South Sudan) and South Asia (Nepal, India, Bhutan), with cumulative $12M+ deployed in Ethiopia and continued investment in corneal transplant summits, retinopathy research (sickle cell), and pediatric ophthalmology. Growth vectors include M&A (SightLife), new specialty centers (Cape Coast, 2026), educational expansion (LIVE Classroom to Rwanda, 2024), and vertical extensions into retinal disease research.

Name

HCP Cure Blindness

Legal name

Himalayan Cataract Project

Website

https://cureblindness.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HCP Cure Blindness (dba Cure Blindness Project) is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that delivers low-cost cataract surgery, ophthalmology training, and specialty eye center infrastructure to underserved communities across more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Eye Care Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Administration of Public Health Programs (923120)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) (BPADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Partnerships (HLAJAOAL), Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

Keywords

• Global eye care
• Cataract surgery
• Ophthalmology training
• Nonprofit health services
• Vision restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, corporate donors, and foundations supporting the mission to eliminate preventable blindness. Includes matched donations during awareness campaigns.
2. Government and Institutional Grants: Funding from government agencies, global health organizations, and institutional partners to support eye care programs, training, and infrastructure development.
3. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other planned giving instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HCP Cure Blindness (dba Cure Blindness Project) is a nonprofit organization that provides free sight-restoring eye care services to underserved communities in more than 30 countries. Its core offering combines high-volume cataract surgery outreach events, surgical training for local eye health professionals, equipment and infrastructure support, and government-partnered national programs such as Ghana's NCOP. Services are funded by charitable donations and grants; patients receive care at no cost.

Product overview

Cure Blindness Project (formerly Himalayan Cataract Project/HCP Cureblindness) is a nonprofit healthcare organization offering a portfolio of eye care programs centered on eliminating avoidable blindness. The core offering consists of high-volume cataract surgery outreach programs and the National Cataract Outreach Program (NCOP) in partnership with governments. Supporting programs include Surgical Outreach Kits for rural deployment, Wet Labs and LIVE/Virtual Classroom for ophthalmology training, and the Corneal Transplant Program for cornea blindness. Infrastructure offerings include specialty eye centers like the Bahir Dar Specialty Eye Center in Ethiopia and the Eye Care Center of Excellence in Ghana. The organization operates across 30+ countries, having performed over 1.8 million sight-restoring surgeries and trained 25,000+ eye health professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cataract Surgery Outreach Programs High-volume surgical outreach programs that provide free sight-restoring cataract surgeries to underserved communities in more than 30 countries through partner hospitals and visiting surgical teams.
• National Cataract Outreach Program (NCOP) Partnership between HCP Cure Blindness and Ghana's Ministry of Health to organize sustainable nationwide outreach events that eliminate cataract backlog, with quality surgery made accessible to all Ghanaians and reimbursable through the National Health Insurance Program.
• Surgical Training Programs (Wet Labs) Ophthalmology Wet Labs providing hands-on surgical training for residents, equipped with microscopes, instruments and consumables; currently operational at six Ethiopian universities.
• LIVE Classroom and Virtual Classroom Training Programs Educational platform combining classroom instruction with hands-on training for ophthalmology residents; LIVE Classroom is a three-day intensive in-person program and Virtual Classroom is an 18-month remote program supplementing country residency programs with monthly Zoom-based learning.
• Corneal Transplant Program Program addressing corneal blindness through cornea transplants, surgeon training, and advocacy for organ donation legislation, including the annual Corneal Transplant Summit in Ghana coordinated with the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana.
• Surgical Outreach Kits Portable surgical equipment kits containing essential instruments and consumables for performing small incision cataract surgery (SICS), provided to rural ophthalmologists to enable emergency and outreach surgeries in remote areas.
• Bahir Dar Specialty Eye Center 20,000+ square foot specialty eye center in Ethiopia providing sustainable eye care through a social enterprise model with cross-subsidization, projected to perform 45,500 cataract surgeries and 254,500 eye exams in its first five years of operation.
• Eye Care Center of Excellence (Cape Coast Teaching Hospital) Specialized eye care facility at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana inaugurated in March 2026, providing comprehensive eye care services to patients in Ghana's Central Region.
• Holiday Gift Catalog Annual gift catalog offering supporters tangible options to fund specific eye care programs, including eye exams, surgeon training, surgical outreaches, and infrastructure support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million+ sight-restoring surgeries performed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SightLife InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2023HCP Cureblindness acquired SightLife International's global program division to combine expertise and expand regional reach. SightLife brings expertise in primary care, policy and advocacy for corneal blindness, while HCP contributes expertise in specialized care delivery and infrastructure development. Together they address both cataract and corneal blindness impacting nearly 70 million people globally.
• Johnson & JohnsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson & Johnson provided a grant enabling Cure Blindness Project to equip six leading universities in Ethiopia with Wet Lab tools for ophthalmology training. Universities include Hawassa, Mekelle, Jimma, Bahir Dar, Gondar, and St. Paul's Millennium Medical College.
• Helen Keller InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Tanzania pairs Helen Keller's expertise in Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) care with HCP's cataract care expertise to ensure local practitioners reach more patients through existing TT case finding and clinical flow.
• Ophthalmological Society of GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of annual Corneal Transplant Summits addressing corneal blindness in Ghana, working with Ghana Health Services on advocacy and legislation for organ donation.
• Ghana Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Ghana's Ministry of Health through the National Cataract Outreach Program (NCOP), organizing outreach events nationwide through trained ophthalmic teams.
• Orbis InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on clinical training, eye bank development, advocacy and prevention in Nepal and Ethiopia, particularly for corneal blindness initiatives.
• Six Ethiopian UniversitiesmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHawassa, Mekelle, Jimma, Bahir Dar, Gondar, and St. Paul's Millennium Medical College equipped with Wet Lab tools and training to establish or enhance ophthalmology education.
• Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner in Nepal; TIO pioneered by co-founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit. Joint surgical outreach events and training programs for eye care professionals.
• Stanford Center for Innovation in Global HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for research into sickle cell retinopathy in Ghana and retinopathy of prematurity, with Stanford ophthalmologists collaborating with Ghanaian healthcare professionals.
• Africa Eye Imaging CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for research on sickle cell retinopathy and establishing Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as center of excellence for retinal care.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Orbis International: Global eye health nonprofit operating in low- and middle-income countries with a comparable mission of preventing avoidable blindness. Operates the Flying Eye Hospital, trains local ophthalmologists, and partners with HCP Cure Blindness in Nepal and Ethiopia on corneal blindness initiatives — making it both a direct peer and an active collaborator.
• Sightsavers: International NGO focused on eliminating avoidable blindness and supporting people with disabilities across 30+ low-income countries. Operates similar programs in cataract surgery, trachoma treatment, and NTD prevention, with comparable government partnership models and donor-funded revenue streams.
• The Fred Hollows Foundation: Australian-based nonprofit restoring sight in more than 25 countries through cataract surgery, training of local eye health workers, and infrastructure investment. Highly comparable in mission, surgical technique focus, training-led approach, and partner-hospital model across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
• Helen Keller International: Global health nonprofit with a major vision and eye health portfolio addressing trachoma, cataract, and refractive error in underserved communities. Active partner of HCP Cure Blindness in Tanzania, integrating trachomatous trichiasis case finding with cataract surgical outreach.
• SEVA Foundation: US-based eye health nonprofit building sustainable eye care programs in low-resource settings through local capacity building, hospital partnerships, and surgical outreach — directly overlapping HCP's model and geographies across South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
• Operation Eyesight Universal: International development organization focused on preventing blindness and restoring sight, primarily in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Operates hospital-based community eye health models with comparable donor-funded cataract surgery programs and local workforce training.
• Brien Holden Vision Institute: International nonprofit focused on vision care, eye health research, and training in underserved communities, with comparable programs in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Operates similar sustainable eye care delivery models and workforce development approaches.

Broad incumbents

• Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF): Large global foundation with an extensive SightFirst program funding cataract surgeries, vision centers, and eye health infrastructure across developing countries. Operates at a much larger scale and broader scope than HCP, but shares the donor-funded global eye care mission.

Emerging players

• Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology: Nepalese eye hospital founded by HCP co-founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit that pioneered the SICS technique. Functions as both a long-time implementation partner of HCP and an independent operator with its own outreach, training, and research programs in South Asia.

Others

• Eye Bank Association of America: US-based organization coordinating corneal tissue recovery and distribution, an adjacent enabler of the corneal transplant services HCP delivers through its SightLife-acquired program and Ghana Corneal Transplant Summits.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cureblindness
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CureBlindness
• Facebookfacebook.com/cureblindness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/himalayan-cataract-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/cureblindness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HCP Cure Blindness