IntroductionEstablished in 1976 with the aim of eliminating unnecessary blindness, Aravind is the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world. The brainchild of Dr. Venkataswamy, Aravind Eye Hospital has been providing free eye care and surgeries to millions of needy patients apart from regular patients. Currently, there were 3 Aravind Eye Care hospitals across the state of Tamil Nadu – in Madurai, Tirunelveli and Theni. A new facility in Coimbatore was also under consideration. Since its inception, Aravind Group of Hospitals has screened 3.65 million patients and performed around 335,000 cataract surgeries, of which nearly 70% were performed free of cost. Operations Aravind Eye Hospital has adopted a unique model to try to realize its goal of eradicating blindness in India. Eye care delivery model The hospital operated 2 different types of hospitals: the main hospital and the free hospital. Main Hospital The main hospital functioned as a normal ophthalmology hospital. All patients admitted here paid for hospital services, except for some complicated cases which were brought from the Free Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. The hospital provided different types of A, B and C class rooms, each with slightly different levels of privacy and amenities and consequently different price levels. Treatments performed at the main hospital ranged from simple treatments to extremely complex surgeries such as retinal detachment repair. The cataract surgeries performed at the main hospital were mostly ECCE cataract surgeries requiring an operating microscope and were also more expensive as it required an IOL. Free Hospital The Free Hospital provided free eye care to the poorest section of the society. Patients brought from eye camps were brought here for treatment. The patients at the Free Hospital were not provided with a bed but were provided with mattresses and a small pillow. The hospital primarily provided ICCE-type cataract surgery with ECCE recommended only when ICCE could not be performed for medical reasons. Eye Fields Eye fields were the most important medium through which Aravind was able to reach out to the masses. These camps were conducted in rural and semi-urban areas with the help of the local community, and a local business or social service organization took the lead role in organizing the event. Public announcements, newspaper ads, and other materials were distributed to publicize the camp and increase participation in and around the city where the camp was being held 2-3 weeks in advance.