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'''VisionSpring''', formerly Scojo Foundation, is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_enterprise| [social enterprise]] founded by Jordan Kassalow and Scott Berrie in 2001, a year after Kassalow co-founded [http://www.scojo.com/|   Scojo Vision LLC], a designer and distributor of high-end reading glasses.<ref>http://www.draperrichards.org/fellows/visionspring.html</ref>

''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission| [Mission]]''': To ensure [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equitable| equitable] and affordable [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/[equitable]] and affordable [[Glasses|  eyeglass]] is available to every individual to live a productive life.

== About VisionSpring in India ==
VisionSpring in India was launched in 2005. About 92.4 million people in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India| India] suffer from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia  Presbyopia[India]] suffer from [[Presbyopia]], causing them to be less productive in their work. VisionSpring, with its  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_model| [[business model]], provide  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment| employment[[employment]] opportunities in India by training Vision Entrepreneurs (VEs) to give eye screenings, sell eyeglasses to the different communities and to refer customers who needed prescription glasses to a VisionSpring [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/optometrist| optometrist[optometrist]]. Once hired, a VE will receive a package containing marketing materials and the details required to carry out an eye test. For every pair of glasses sold, the VEs will earn between 40 to 50 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupees| Rupees[Rupees]]. These VEs are responsible for reaching out to the innermost area of rural India, as most eye care professionals are located in the urban area and are very costly.<ref>http://www.globalens.com/DocFiles/PDF/cases/inspection/GL1428610I.pdf</ref> VisionSpring also conducts about 60,000 eye screenings in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh  [Andhra Pradesh]] alone every year.<ref>http://modernmedicare.co.in/2011/02/18/visionspring-india-making-a-difference-towards-presbyopia-2/</ref>

== Impact and Success ==
VisionSpring has impacted India widely, benefitting both VEs and their customers. The organization today provides eyesight to a huge Indian  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population| population[population]], which increased their productivity by 35% and thus their income.<ref>http://www.visionspring.org/newscenter/downloads/news/scojo_news_876.pdf</ref> VEs are empowered with a job that sustains a livelihood though the sales of the glasses. These caused an  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregate| [aggregate]] increment in the nations’ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/[Gross_  domestic_  product    |GDP]]. By 2007, VisionSpring's "India programme has become the organization’s largest and fastest-growing, training more than 450 VEs and selling more than $100,000 worth of glasses." <ref>Dan L. (2007). "Microfranchising: using markets, community to cure illness, poverty" ''Mint''</ref> In 2010, research in India have shown that VisionSpring has generated $228 million in economic growth and increased the earning potential of an average customer by $381.<ref>http://www.visionspring.org/newscenter/news-detail.php?id=876</ref>

The success of VisionSpring’s  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalistic| [capitalistic]] and  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropic| philanthropic[philanthropic]] operation has been used as a learning example and role model for social enterprises. Stanford Social Innovation Review,<ref>http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/freeing_the_social_entrepreneur/</ref> Handbook of Research on Social Entrepreneurship <ref>Fayolle, A(ed.), Matlay, H(ed.) (2011) ''Handbook of Research on Social Entrepreneurship.'' Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, UK</ref> and Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid: New Approaches for Building Mutual Value<ref>Ted, L, Stuart L. H. (2010) ''Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid: New Approaches for Building Mutual Value''. FT Press, New Jersey</ref> have featured VisionSpring and published its experience to allow other social enterprise  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry| [industry]] learn from them. 

VisionSpring has won  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awards| awards[awards]] such as 2010 CASE Awards for Social Enterprising Innovation <ref>http://www.caseatduke.org/events/ESIaward/2010Winner.html</ref> and several others.<ref>http://visionspring.org/newscenter/news.php</ref>

== Shortfalls ==
VisionSpring  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge| pledges][pledge]]s to reach out and serve those who are living under $4 per day.<ref>http://www.warbyparker.com/visionspring</ref> Considering that 880 million people in India lives under US$2 per day,  VisionSpring might not have contributed much to help such a population. VisionSpring might have to reassess the price of the glasses they are selling especially if they are planning to reach out to the larger population in India.<ref>http://www.globalens.com/DocFiles/PDF/cases/inspection/GL1428610I.pdf</ref>

Being a social enterprise, VisionSpring aims to be  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/[Self-sustainability|  self-sustainable  ]], however it still relies heavily on  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity| [charity]], it managed to gather $1.7million in 2010.<ref>Forbes Asia; Feb2011, Vol. 7 Issue 2, p26-26, 1p</ref>

The VEs, who will conduct eyesight screening, are trained shortly within 3 days, the reliability of their assessment skills can be questioned.<ref>http://inspiredeconomist.com/2011/08/31/visionspring-a-model-toms-shoes-would-be-wise-to-adopt/</ref>

== References ==
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[[Category:Ophthalmology organizations]]