UJ’s New Mobile Eye Clinic to Bring Free and Essential Eye Care to Those Who Truly Need It

Photo Credit: University of Johannesburg via Facebook

Far too many people are forced to work, learn, and navigate daily life with poor vision simply because essential eye care is out of reach. To change this, the University of Johannesburg is hitting the road with its new mobile eye clinic to bring free, high-quality eye care and glasses to underserved communities across Gauteng and Limpopo.

Johannesburg, South Africa (25 October 2026) – No one should have to go through life in a blur. To make sight accessible to all, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has partnered with the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) to launch a R2.5-million, fully equipped mobile optometry clinic.

Designed to deliver comprehensive eye care directly to underserved communities across Gauteng and Limpopo, this initiative ensures that more people receive the examinations and spectacles they urgently need.

This vital work builds on a strong foundation, as UJ’s Department of Optometry has been serving these communities for years. In 2025 alone, the department ran 53 outreaches, examined roughly 5,520 patients and dispensed 1,038 pairs of spectacles free of charge from Gauteng to rural Limpopo.

Now, with this new mobile clinic, that life-changing impact can reach even further.

Photo Credit: University of Johannesburg via Facebook

Head of the Department, Prof Nabeela Hasrod Gany, says the initiative reaches people who know they have an eye problem but simply cannot afford to do anything about it and, as a result, are forced to go through everyday life and perform tasks with poor vision.

Screening doesn’t help the person after they have stepped out of the examination room. The mobile eye clinic works to close the gap between eye examinations and getting glasses to people who really need them.

“We approached the South African Muslim Charitable Trust. We didn’t just simply ask for another vehicle; we asked them to buy in and to invest in a model that would be able to take quality eye care to communities in need,” said the professor.

Shabir Chohan of the South African Muslim Charitable Trust said the project stood out for how it addresses a critical need that affects people of all ages and tied into the Trust’s objective to provide education, health and poverty alleviation.

For patients like Priscilla Hughes, who volunteers at her local police station, benefiting from the services of the eye clinic has meant being able to read a document and sign forms independently.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a mobile clinic for eyes. This is the best thing that’s happened for me,” she said.

Through the thousands of lives they have already touched, and the many more they now stand to reach with this new vehicle, the UJ Optometry team has seen firsthand how a simple pair of prescription glasses can transform a person’s life and open up their entire world. As Prof Gany puts it:

“The kilometres will tell us how far our mobile clinic has travelled, but it’s the child sitting in his classroom being able to see clearly now that will truly tell us how far we’ve come.”