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“Millions of people around the world are in need of eyeglasses but cannot afford to buy them or simply have access to them. Children are unable to learn, adults struggle to provide for their families. We would like to do something about it. Our vision is a world where everyone can have access to affordable eyeglasses to reach his or her fullest potential.”
Martin Aufmuth
GoodVision Glasses is a brand of EinDollarBrille e.V. (GoodVision Germany), an international social business headquartered in Germany, Europe, and founded by Martin Aufmuth in 2012.
He invented an impact-focused innovative approach to producing quality, low-cost eyeglasses for a developing or emerging country context.
Those eyeglasses are made of spring-steel wire frames and prefabricated clip-in lenses at low material cost.
Currently, GoodVision is active in Africa, Asia and South America. Globally, more than 600 individuals are involved in the GoodVision organisation. Till the end of 2023, the organisation had supplied eyeglasses to more than 630.000 people.
GoodVision came to Malawi in 2014 and has since operated through its CONGOMA-registered subsidiary OneDollarGlasses Ltd., / GoodVision Malawi producing and distributing eyeglasses under the brand of GoodVision Glasses.
Marc Zedler
Country Project Manager
Lilongwe
Phone: +265 899 579 752
marc.zedler@goodvision.org
Miss Chinsisi Nthala
Marketing Manager
Lilongwe
Phone: +265 899 579 752
chinsisi.nthala@goodvision.org
Edwin Chibale
Human Resources & Operations Data Officer
Lilongwe
Phone: +265 881 198 851
edwin.chibale@goodvision.org
Stanford Mhone
Finance & Administration Officer
Lilongwe
Phone: +265 881 163 869
stanford.mhone@goodvision.org
Funwayo Shaba
Production & Inventory Officer
Lilongwe
funwayo.shaba@goodvision.org
Allan Nyirongo
Southern Supervisor
Blantyre
allan.nyirongo@goodvision.org
Richard Feywell Kapala
Northern Supervisor
Mzuzu
richardfeywell.kapala@
goodvision.org
Flora Kambanga
Optical Supervisor/Optometrist
Mzuzu
flora.kambanga@goodvision.org
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion of these, vision impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. According to the study in 2019, around 950 million people needed glasses but couldn’t afford them or did not have access to optical care. The consequences: Children are unable to follow lessons at school. Adults are unable to take on any or any qualified work in order to provide for their families. The loss of income of these people amounts to 269 billion US Dollars per year.
Another study co-published by our partner VisionSpring in July 2018 in The Lancet Global Health furthermore affirms that eyeglasses have the potential to dramatically boost worker productivity worldwide. In India, providing tea pickers with corrective lenses improved worker productivity by 21.7 percent, with productivity increasing to almost 32 percent when vision correction was provided to workers over 50. This represents the largest ever recorded productivity increase from any health intervention.
The eyeglasses invented by founder Martin Aufmuth in 2012 and marketed as the product line “GoodVision Glasses“ in Malawi consist of a lightweight, flexible and very durable metal frame which uses hypo allergic spring-steel wire sourced from Germany.
The metal frames are manufactured on a custom-made bending machine, which is virtually maintenance free and requires no electricity. They come in differently coloured temples, sizes and account for varying pupil distances. The spherical lenses sourced from China, but quality checked in Germany, are prefabricated clip-in lenses, made from hardened polycarbonate and available in diopters ranging from -10 to +10. The cost of the material including wire and lenses comes to about 1 US$.In Malawi, the most basic „GoodVision Glasses“ model is sold at 6.000 Kwacha only.
In cooperation with German ophthalmologists and opticians, GoodVision developed its own 12 month long highly focussed training course in Best-Spherical-Correction (BSC).
In Malawi, experienced opticians and optometry technicians have so far educated 30 „GoodVision Opticians“ in finding the appropriate lenses during vision testing as well as professionally fitting the glasses. To sum it up: Best-spherical correction of refractive error ONLY – no treatment of eye diseases.
A well designed quality control system with strict supervision components guarantees compliance with quality standards.
Distribution takes place via own GoodVision Stores as well as outreaches conducted by mobile outreach teams.
The modular assembly system of the eyeglasses offered by GoodVision Glasses allows for fast, individual and cost effective care, also in remote areas. Immediately after the eye test (always provided at no cost), the patient who is willing to buy and able to pay, receives the glasses. No expensive grinding equipment is needed and a second consultation for fitting the glasses is not required, thus saving time and transport costs.
The growing network of own GoodVision Stores and an increasing number of partnerships supporting repetitive outreach scheduling (e.g. at local health clinics) allow customers to access after-sales services or to purchase (again) at a later point in time.
GoodVision is operating internationally as a social business. This means first and foremost that the aim is to merely cover costs, not to make profit.
This approach enables us to offer our products at a lower price compared to profit-seeking businesses. By this we can live up to our conviction that a good vision is a human right and thus eyecare services in developing and emerging countries a social obligation.
At the same time, and in contrast to a classical not-for-profit organisation, cost-covering will enable us to be self-reliant in the countries we work in, i.e. largely independent of donor money, with the exception of selected projects or programs such as the GoodVision School program and the GoodVision Rural program.
Self-reliance means sustainability and the possibility to serve not only present, but also future generations.
80 % of what a schoolchild learns is visual. Without eyeglasses, children with refractive error will fail to reach their full academic potential. Worst case they drop out of school. This is why we have a special donation scheme for schools in Malawi. Students and their teachers get regularly tested and if necessary receive our eyeglasses for free.
So far, we have donated more than 8.000 eyeglasses to schoolchildren in Malawi, thanks to private donors, but also institutional donors such as Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung.
84 % of the population of Malawi lives in rural areas (national census 2018). The access to affordable eyeglasses in rural Malawi is practically non-existent: optical services are predominantly available in urban areas and prices for eyeglasses by far do not match rural income levels.
Our program GoodVision Rural, currently financed by Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung, offers highly subsidized eyeglasses to the rural population.
As an official member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), OneDollarGlasses actively supports the global WHO Action Plan Vision2020 for the Prevention of Avoidable Blindness and Visual Impairment. In addition to that, OneDollarGlasses is an active participant and contributor to the REWG (Refractive Error Working Group) of IAPB.
The German Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is dedicated to advancing medical research as well as medical-humanitarian aid. To date, the foundation has supported some 1,660 projects with a gross outlay of approximately 315 million EURO. GoodVision has been receiving funding by Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung since 2015.
GoodVision has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health as well as the Medical Council of Malawi.
You run or own a hospital, clinic, optical shop or pharmacy and you wish to initiate or expand eyecare services for your customer base?
You work for an (international) organisation and are seeking implementing partners in primary eyecare?
You work for a business and are looking into options for corporate social responsibility?
Please get in touch with us to discuss partnership opportunities and maximize our impact together.
