20 years opening eyes

  • 2001 Founded by Rafael Ribó and Borja Corcóstegui, Eyes of the world became operational with the first medical-surgical commission in the Sahrawi camps.
  • 2002 Start of the project in Mozambique: creation of an ophthalmology unit at the Inhambane Provincial Hospital.
  • 2003 New programme in Bolivia: start of the project in El Alto and the surrounding rural area.
  • 2004 Adhesion to the IAPB (Internacional Agency for the Prevention of Blindness) and its VISION 2020 programme.
  • 2005 Formal establishment of the territorial delegation in the Basque Country.
  • 2006 First training session for ophthalmologists in Bolivia via videoconference. 5 years of the Foundation.
  • 2007 Creation of the Visions art collection with works by Antoni Tàpies, Andreu Alfaro and Manel Esclusa.
  • 2008 Start of the project in Mali and opening of the first public optical workshop at the Inhambane Provincial Hospital.
  • 2009 1st eye health training course for women’s associations in Mopti.
  • 2010 1st gender study in the Sahrawi camps to gauge women’s access to ophthalmological services.
  • 2011 First decade: over 110,000 visits and close to 9,000 operations. 10 years of the Foundation.
  • 2012 First retina and paediatric specialists trained at the AITO in Mali.
  • 2013 Transfer of the eye care network in El Alto to the Bolivian health authorities.
  • 2014 Creation of two new care points in Inhambane to provide rural communities access to eye health.
  • 2015 Launch of the ophthalmological operating room at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Tarija.
  • 2016 1st RAAB study in Inhambane to determine the prevalence and causes of preventable blindness: visits have been conducted to 3,000 people in 14 districts.15 years of the Foundation.
  • 2017 Publication of the IAPB’s Vision Atlas: 75% of global cases of blindness are easily curable.
  • 2018 Dr. Said, a Sahrawi ophthalmologist, takes over permanent care responsibilities at the refugee camps in Tindouf.
  • 2019 Approval of the Foundation’s 1st gender strategy.
  • 2020 Global COVID-19 crisis: during the pandemic, the Foundation delivered protection material, promoted prevention, and adapted projects to offer continual ophthalmological assistance.
  • 2021 20 years opening eyes. 985,500 people assisted.