VisionSpring

VisionSpring's mission is to ensure affordable access to eyewear, everywhere. For many in the developing world, the lack of access to affordable eyeglasses leads to the unnecessary loss of educational and employment opportunities. Founded in 2001 by Dr. Jordan Kassalow, VisionSpring addresses a critical need by providing access to high-quality, affordable, and culturally appropriate optical goods and services for those earning between $1-$4 a day, the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) consumer. VisionSpring was founded on a very basic principle: "If you can't see, you can't work" with our early work focused on providing the BoP consumer with access to affordable reading glasses. In the years since, VisionSpring has broadened the scope of our work to include the distribution of prescription eyeglasses with the understanding that "If you can't see, you can't learn." Since 2001, VisionSpring has grown into a global social enterprise that has reached more than 1.6 million individuals with reading and distance vision glasses. VisionSpring has been recognized by the Skoll Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, and the World Bank. Dr. Kassalow is one of the Schwab Foundation's 2012 Global Social Entrepreneurs of the Year, the inaugural winner of the John P. McNulty Prize, and was named as one of the Impact 30 by Forbes Magazine.