IntroductionEstablished in 1976 with a mission to eliminate needless blindness, Aravind is the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world. Established by Dr. Venkataswamy, Aravind Eye Hospital has provided free eye care and surgeries to millions of needy patients, apart from regular patients. Currently, there are 3 Aravind Eye Care hospitals in the state of Tamil Nadu – in Madurai, Tirunelveli and Theni. A new facility in Coimbatore was also under consideration. Since its inception, the Aravind Group of Hospitals has examined 3.65 million patients and performed around 335,000 cataract operations, of which almost 70% were performed free of charge. OperationsAravind Eye Hospital adopted a unique model in an attempt to realize its vision of eradicating blindness in India.Eye Care Delivery ModelThe hospital was running 2 different types of hospitals: Main Hospital and Free Hospital. Main HospitalThe main hospital functioned as a regular eye hospital. All patients admitted here paid for the hospital's services, except for a few complicated cases who were brought from the free hospital for diagnosis and treatment. The hospital offered different types of class A, B and C rooms, each with somewhat different levels of privacy and amenities and, therefore, different price points. Treatments performed at the main hospital ranged from simple treatments to extremely complex surgical procedures such as retinal detachment repair. Cataract surgeries performed at the main hospital were mainly ECCE cataract surgeries which required an operating microscope and were also more expensive as they required an IOL lens. Free Hospital The free hospital provided free eye care to the poorest sections of society. Patients brought from eye camps were brought here for treatment. The patients in the free hospital did not receive a bed but instead were given altar mats and a small pillow. The hospital primarily offered ICCE cataract surgery, with ECCE recommended only when ICCE could not be performed for medical reasons. Eye Camps Eye camps were the most important way through which Aravind could reach out to the masses. These camps were organized in rural and semi-urban areas with the help of the local community, with a local business enterprise or social service agency playing the lead role in organizing the event. Public announcements, newspaper notices, and other materials were distributed to publicize the camp and increase participation in and around the town where the camp was being held 2-3 weeks in advance..