For millions of people, poor vision can be corrected with something as simple as a pair of spectacles. Yet the gap between needing eye care and accessing it remains a significant barrier, particularly for underserved communities.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ), in partnership with the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT), on Monday, 28 September 2026, officially launched and handed over a new R2.5 million, fully equipped Mobile Optometry Clinic, designed to deliver comprehensive eye care directly to communities.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Nabeela Hasrod Gany, Head of the UJ Department of Optometry, described the philosophy behind the project:
“Diagnosis without access to the solution is not enough. Ths project is about more than a vehicle – it’s about closing the loop between diagnosis and immediate treatment by bringing clinicians, equipment, and a spectacle lab to communities.
We can identify the problem and, where possible, provide the spectacles that solve it – right there in the community.”
The initiative responds to a global challenge that is as much about access to care as it is about eye disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people worldwide live with near or distance vision impairment, and at least 1 billion cases could have been prevented or remain unaddressed. Uncorrected refractive error remains a leading cause of vision impairment in both children and adults. WHO further estimates that two out of every three people in low-income countries who need spectacles lack access to them.
Bringing the clinic to the patient
UJ’s Department of Optometry established a community outreach programme. In 2025 alone, the Department conducted 53 outreach initiatives, examined approximately 5,520 patients and provided 1,038 pairs of spectacles free of charge.
However, traditional outreach presents an important challenge: while clinicians can travel into a community, examine a patient and diagnose a refractive problem, the manufacture and subsequent delivery of spectacles often happens elsewhere.
“Those numbers are significant, and behind each number is a person. Let’s not forget that a child trying to see what is written on a classroom board, an adult whose vision affects their ability to work, an older person for whom clear vision can mean greater independence. This is where the importance of today’s launch becomes clear,” said UJ Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi.
For patients living far from established eye-care services, returning to collect spectacles may mean additional transport costs, time away from work or school, and another journey that is not always possible.
Prof Mpedi added: “The UJ-SAMCT Mobile Optometry Clinic changes the geography of that relationship. Instead of waiting for the patient to come to the university, the university can go to the patient. We believe that access to healthcare shouldn’t be determined simply by where a person lives, or by the resources available to them.”
The new UJ–SAMCT Mobile Optometry Clinic has been designed specifically to help close this gap.
Unlike a conventional screening vehicle, the mobile clinic is equipped for comprehensive eye examinations and ocular health assessments. It incorporates a fully integrated spectacle-cutting laboratory, allowing lenses to be edged and glazed on-site.
This creates the potential for a patient to move from eye examination to prescription, to spectacle manufacture and dispensing within the same community outreach visit.
The model is particularly significant because something as straightforward as uncorrected refractive error can affect education, employment, independence and quality of life.
Globally, vision impairment is associated with an estimated US$411 billion in annual productivity losses.
Mr Shabir Chohan, one of the SAMCT Trustees, proposed replicating this model nationally and expanding it into integrated community development. The Trust committed to explore partnerships with other faculties and donors to scale the initiative.
From launch to community: first stop, Cosmo City
Following its launch at UJ, the Mobile Optometry Clinic will undertake its first community deployment in Cosmo City on World Sight Day in October 2026, taking the clinic’s comprehensive eye-care and spectacle services directly into the community.
The Cosmo City outreach will provide a fitting first journey for a clinic built around a simple principle: where geography creates a barrier to eye care, healthcare must become mobile.
Beyond community service, the clinic will also serve as a mobile teaching platform for UJ Optometry students, exposing future practitioners to the realities of healthcare access while developing clinical competence, adaptability and socially responsive practice.
The initiative brings together teaching, community engagement and societal impact, while creating a sustainable platform through which UJ can extend its healthcare footprint beyond the University’s physical campuses.
