“The journey began during my visit to the slum on the outskirts of Malad, just along the edge of the forest below Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
I couldn’t recall seeing any children wearing glasses.
Upon my return, I proceeded to consult ophthalmologists and opticians, visited clinics and optometry schools, in order to find a way to provide people with an eye exam and glasses and to send children and adults for specialized eye care, including cataract operations or other treatments.
As an educator, I wanted to involve my students in this project and so investigated the possibility of giving them a wide range of responsibilities within the eye screening process.
The innovative piece was turning an eye camp into an international service learning experience for my students and those of our historic partner school, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and then later, with the Daly College and the Emerald Heights School in Indore. And so, I created and launched ICU2.”
Christopher L. Hunter
Key Dates
2004-2018
Annual eye camps have screened over 200 000 people and distributed almost as many glasses.
Thousands of adults have received cataract operations without charge.
2016
Creation of the ICU2 Endowment Fund.
2003
First visit to India
Since…
