Southern Eye Institute

What Southern Eye Institute does

Southern Eye Institute is a 501C3 nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1988 by Dr. Mary Cathleen "Cathy" Schanzer and Tom Lewis to support missionary eye care and community development in West Africa. The organization's primary operational asset is the Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu, a permanent eye care and surgical center in Sierra Leone established on January 7, 2006, in partnership with Catholic Mission, which contributed the land and building. The clinic operates year-round with 30 full-time employees and supports 10 satellite clinics in nearby villages, serving patients from seven countries who may travel several days to reach the facility.

The organization's core service is providing free comprehensive eye care — including diagnostic examinations, medicines, eyeglasses, and modern eye surgery — funded entirely through charitable donations. During 37 years of mission work, founder Dr. Schanzer performed over 10,000 eye operations. The organization also funds community development programs including water wells (9 sections serving the community), education scholarships (218 students supported in 2013), a computer center, and cultural and sports events. Dr. Schanzer received the Catholic Doctor of the Year award in 2024, but passed away on June 4, 2025, at age 73.

Southern Eye Institute generates no revenue from patient services; all operations are funded through donations solicited via the organization's website, text-to-donate campaigns (text "Serabu" to 44-321), Amazon Smile, and direct mail. The Memphis, Tennessee headquarters (P.O. Box 771317) serves primarily as a fundraising and administrative hub with 12 US-side staff, while Tom Lewis continues to lead mission trips following Dr. Schanzer's passing. The organization markets to donors through social media (Facebook, X, Instagram), YouTube mission videos, and its website.

Name

Southern Eye Institute

Legal name

Southern Eye Institute

Website

https://southerneyeinstitute.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Southern Eye Institute is a 501C3 nonprofit that funds and operates the Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu in Sierra Leone, providing free eye examinations, eyeglasses, and surgery to underserved patients from seven countries while running community development programs in water, education, and food security.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Ophthalmology Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ambulatory Surgery Centers (Ophthalmic/Outpatient Eye Surgery) (HLAKAKAO), Ophthalmology Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Missionary eye care
• Ophthalmology services
• Humanitarian healthcare
• Cataract surgery
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Southern Eye Institute operates as a 501C3 charity organization. All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used in Serabu for medical, surgical, and community services. Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary contributions from donors, with no revenue-generating services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Southern Eye Institute is a 501C3 charitable organization that raises funds to operate the Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu, a permanent eye care and surgical center in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The clinic provides free diagnostic examinations, medicines, eyeglasses, and modern eye surgery to underserved patients from seven countries. The organization also funds broader community development programs including water wells, education scholarships, and a computer center.

Product overview

Southern Eye Institute is a 501C3 non-profit organization that operates as a charitable fundraising entity supporting the Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu, a permanent eye care and surgical center in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The organization provides eye care services (examinations, medicines, eyeglasses, and surgeries) and community development programs including water wells, education scholarships, and a computer center. The clinic operates year-round with 30 full-time employees and supports 10 satellite clinics. The organization also offers a text-to-donate service for contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eye Care and Surgical Services Free diagnostic examinations, medicines, eyeglasses, and modern eye surgeries provided to underserved patients in Sierra Leone and surrounding West African countries. Services are delivered year-round at the Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu and through 10 satellite clinics.
• Community Development Programs Humanitarian programs supporting water wells, education scholarships from kindergarten to college, a computer center, food programs, sports competitions, and cultural events in Serabu and surrounding Sierra Leone villages.
• Text-to-Donate Service Mobile donation service allowing supporters to text 'Serabu' to 44-321 to make charitable contributions supporting the clinic and community programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 eye operations performed over 37 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Local Education CommitteeminorOthers · 1 January 2013Education committee made up of area teachers and leaders that administer the scholarship program and understand the needs of each assisted student. The committee manages financial support for 218 students from kindergarten to college.
• Jari DykstraminorOthers · 1 January 2013Memphian who organized and directed the rebuilding of Serabu Community School (blown down during a severe rainstorm) and the latrine construction project. Also former project leader of the water well campaign.
• Catholic MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Catholic Mission contributed the land and building for Southern Eye Clinic of Serabu. This partnership enabled the establishment of a permanent eye care center in the remote village of Serabu, Sierra Leone in 2006. While Catholic Mission provided the physical infrastructure, Dr. Schanzer and Tom provide all ongoing financial support through Southern Eye Institute.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Himalayan Cataract Project / Cureblindness: International non-profit that runs high-volume cataract surgical outreach in underserved regions of Africa and Asia. Directly comparable to Southern Eye Institute's mission of providing free cataract and ophthalmic surgery in remote settings.
• Sightsavers: Global NGO working on avoidable blindness in low- and middle-income countries, including West Africa. Operates eye care programs across multiple countries with similar community-based outreach and surgical delivery model.
• Orbis International: Non-profit that delivers eye care training and treatment in developing countries, including Africa. Comparable as a mission-driven ophthalmology organization relying on volunteer medical professionals and donations.
• SEE International (Surgical Eye Expeditions): Non-profit that mobilizes volunteer ophthalmologists to provide free cataract and other eye surgeries in underserved communities worldwide. Closely parallels Southern Eye Institute's mission-trip model.
• Combat Blindness International: Non-profit supporting eye care programs in developing countries, with focus on cataract surgery and ophthalmic training. Similar charitable model and geographic focus on underserved populations.

Emerging players

• Right to Sight: Humanitarian initiative focused on avoidable blindness through ophthalmic surgical capacity-building. Overlaps with Southern Eye Institute on charitable cataract and eye surgery delivery in low-resource settings.
• OneSight (Luxottica Foundation): Non-profit providing vision care and eyewear to underserved communities globally, including Africa. Partial overlap with Southern Eye Institute's eyeglass dispensing and screening work but focused more on optical goods distribution than surgery.
• Mercy Ships: Hospital-ship non-profit delivering free surgical and ophthalmic care in West African ports including Sierra Leone. Provides comparable charitable surgical care to the same patient demographic, although via mobile hospital ships rather than a fixed clinic.

Broad incumbents

• Christian Blind Mission International (CBM): Large faith-based NGO delivering comprehensive eye health and rehabilitation services across developing countries. Broader portfolio than Southern Eye Institute but addresses the same avoidable-blindness population in West Africa.
• Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation: Global eye health NGO focused on refractive error and vision care delivery in underserved regions. Compares on charitable eye-care delivery model and donation-funded operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southerneyeinst
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@southerneyeinstitute5687/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernEyeInstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/southern_eye_institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Southern Eye Institute