Compassion means understanding someone’s struggles and wanting to help. For many, healthcare is a calling—a way to connect with others and improve lives. However, growing demands in healthcare, including eye care, often prioritize efficiency over personal connection. Currently, over 1.1 billion people globally live with vision loss, a number projected to rise to 1.7 billion by 2050 without significant investment. Yet, 90% of vision loss is preventable or treatable with simple solutions like eye exams, glasses, and surgeries.

Despite these solutions, many people remain unaware of or unable to access care due to barriers like fear, cost, or lack of trust. Community screening programs aim to bridge these gaps, but many individuals referred for treatment still don’t follow through—a missed opportunity for improved lives.

Peek Vision, a not-for-profit organization, has developed tools to address these challenges. Partnering with Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, India, Peek enables village screeners to identify and refer people needing care. While this approach has expanded access, many referred patients still don’t seek treatment.

Screeners, as the first point of contact, face pressure to see as many people as possible, often leading to rushed interactions. Evidence suggests that slowing down, building trust, and showing compassion can improve patient follow-through and reduce healthcare worker burnout.

This study tests whether a more compassionate approach improves care uptake and satisfaction for both patients and providers, offering evidence to advocate for more compassionate, patient-centered healthcare environments.

Primary objectives:

This study will test whether giving screeners extra time to listen to and connect personally with patients results in more patients following through with their recommended care, without reducing the total number of people accessing services.

The study also has two additional goals:

1. To find out if slowing down and building personal connections makes patients more satisfied with their care.
2. To see if this approach improves screener satisfaction, which could help employers retain their staff for longer.