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), will, on Monday, 28 September 2026, officially launch and hand over a new R2.5 million, fully equipped Mobile Optometry Clinic, designed to deliver comprehensive eye care directly to communities.

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.

Underserved populations bear a disproportionate burden. WHO reports that 90% of people living with unaddressed vision impairment or blindness are in low- and middle-income countries, reinforcing the need for models of care that take services closer to where people live.

Bringing the clinic to the patient

UJ’s Department of Optometry has an established 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.

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.

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.

Prof Nabeela Hasrod Gany, Head of the UJ Department of Optometry, describes the philosophy behind the project:

“Diagnosis without access to the solution is not enough. The mobile clinic allows us to take eye care to the patient and, importantly, to close the loop. We can identify the problem and, where possible, provide the spectacles that solve it – right there in the community.”

The model is particularly significant because something as straightforward as uncorrected refractive error can affect education, employment, independence and quality of life. WHO notes that school-age children with vision impairment can experience lower educational achievement, while vision impairment in adults can affect employment and productivity. Globally, vision impairment is associated with an estimated US$411 billion in annual productivity losses.

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.

World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October and draws global attention to blindness, vision impairment and the importance of accessible eye care.

The Cosmo City outreach will therefore 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.

Event Details:

Date: Monday, 28 September 2026

Venue: Department of Optometry, 88 Sherwell Street, University of Johannesburg Doornfontein Campus

Time: 09h00 – 11h00

Hosted by: University of Johannesburg in partnership with the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT)