Foresight began as a not-for-profit in 1978 with a commitment to help the people of Bangladesh cure over one million people suffering from blindness. Foresight helped fund and build Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex. This facility has become a Centre of Excellence in surgery, eye care and training, not just for Bangladesh, but for other countries in the region.

A landmark goal was achieved in 2003 when the Complex celebrated one million sight-saving cataract operations performed with intraocular lens implants. The team of local doctors and nurses performing these operations have been trained through Foresight initiated programs.

Key achievements

• Helped build the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC), opening in 1983
• Helped develop the Diploma of Community Ophthalmology (DCO) at University of Chittagong
• Funded and established the Chair in Community Ophthalmology in the University of Chittagong
• In the early 1980’s, set up an inexpensive microbiology laboratory in the Hospital to study the organisms responsible for suppurative keratitis in the Chittagong area of Bangladesh. The lab also served as a model, illustrating how to set up a low‐cost microbiology laboratory.
• As of 2008, Ophthalmologists trained through the Chittagong program had performed 1,300,000 cataract surgery with intraocular lens implants.
• The Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) has provided medical and paramedical staff training for eight base eye hospitals in Bangladesh.