about us

The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) works to improve vision and eye health worldwide.

We engage in a large variety of activities, spanning research, education, capacity development and technology. All of our work is done in partnership with colleagues in low- and middle-income countries, and our work is focused on populations with the greatest needs. We are based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

about us

The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) works to improve vision and eye health worldwide.

We engage in a large variety of activities, spanning research, education, capacity development and technology. All of our work is done in partnership with colleagues in low- and middle-income countries, and is work is focused on populations with the greatest needs. We are based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Our Vision and mission 

We are a global academic network, delivering excellence in research, education and capacity strengthening to improve eye health worldwide through collaborative partnerships.

what we do

Our activities include:

Research that translates impactfully into policy and practice
Education that equips and informs eye health leaders and personnel
Capacity Development that strengthens the workforce and catalyses system transformation
Knowledge Exchange providing a forum for sharing and debating ideas in global eye health

what we do

Our activities include:

Research that translates impactfully into policy and practice
Education that equips and informs eye health leaders and personnel
Capacity Development that strengthens the workforce and catalyses system transformation
Knowledge Exchange providing a forum for sharing and debating ideas in global eye health

our community

ICEH’s emphasis on collaborative working means we are a diverse, global community with a shared purpose.

Currently the Centre has more than 50 staff involved in research, education and administration.

Our Alumni are a very important part of the ICEH community. Since 2010, twenty-two individuals have completed PhDs through the Centre, 15 of whom are from low- or middle-income countries; and since the MSc course started in 1990, more than 300 people have graduated from 100 countries. More than 33,000 people from 190 countries have completed one of our free online courses and more than 20,000 people recieve or access the Journal of Community Eye Health.

our achievements

We make a major contribution to global literature on eye health in LMICs, publishing two or more new papers a week.

We carry out multiple clinical trials every year in lower resource settings.

We led the landmark Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health, which argued that improving eye health is essential to achieving the UN SDGs. It was authored by 73 leading eye health academics and national programme leaders from 25 countries – over a quarter of whom are academics from ICEH.

We strengthen research capacity for eye health in LMICs. Over ten years, we have trained 12 (of 13) eye health researchers with a PhD in Africa; since 1990, close to 400 people from 100 countries have graduated from our MSc in Public Health for Eye Care.

We coordinate a clinical services capacity building programme of 30 international partnerships between eye health teams in LMICs and NHS hospitals in the UK. This has helped strengthen ophthalmology training in multiple institutions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

To address training inequities in public eye health education we have developed seven open online courses in key subject areas. Over 34,000 people from nearly 190 countries have participated.

Our quarterly Community Eye Health Journal is distributed free of charge in 132 countries: 21,000 receive print copies, 10,000 are emailed a copy, 2,500 use our app and our articles have 2 million views on PubMed.

In partnership with not-for-profit tech spin-out from ICEH, Peek Vision, we are developing mHealth solutions and eye health survey tools, resulting in translation of evidence into practice.

our achievements

We make a major contribution to global literature on eye health in LMICs, publishing two or more new papers a week.

We carry out multiple clinical trials every year in lower resource settings.

We led the landmark Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health, which argued that improving eye health is essential to achieving the UN SDGs. It was authored by 73 leading eye health academics and national programme leaders from 25 countries – over a quarter of whom are academics from ICEH.

We strengthen research capacity for eye health in LMICs. Over ten years, we have trained 12 (of 13) eye health researchers with a PhD in Africa; since 1990, close to 400 people from 100 countries have graduated from our MSc in Public Health for Eye Care.

We coordinate a clinical services capacity building programme of 30 international partnerships between eye health teams in LMICs and NHS hospitals in the UK. This has helped strengthen ophthalmology training in multiple institutions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

To address training inequities in public eye health education we have developed seven open online courses in key subject areas. Over 34,000 people from nearly 190 countries have participated.

Our quarterly Community Eye Health Journal is distributed free of charge in 132 countries: 21,000 receive print copies, 10,000 are emailed a copy, 2,500 use our app and our articles have 2 million views on PubMed.

In partnership with not-for-profit tech spin-out from ICEH, Peek Vision, we are developing mHealth solutions and eye health survey tools, resulting in translation of evidence into practice.

iceh overview

Download a report sharing an overview of ICEH, our research and activities.

This report was updated in August 2023.

iceh overview

Download a report sharing an overview of ICEH, our research and activities. 

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