— KeraLink Eyewear, a U.S.-based company that sells prescription glasses online, is pursuing a model that departs from industry norms: using 100% of its profits to support global efforts to prevent and treat avoidable blindness.
Launched in 2024, the company operates as a public benefit corporation and is a commercial spinout of KeraLink International, a nonprofit organization with more than six decades of experience in the field of eyecare. While KeraLink Eyewear is new to the retail space, it builds directly on the infrastructure, clinical history, and mission of its nonprofit parent.
The brand’s flagship initiative, “Sight for Sight,” aims to link everyday eyewear purchases with sight-saving care in regions where eyecare is limited or inaccessible. Profits support field programs that range from distributing AI-assisted diagnostic tools to training healthcare providers in underserved communities.
“We aren’t trying to compete on price alone; we want the customer to know their glasses are funding real work in places where blindness is both common and treatable,” said Dr. Mark Clark, director of operations at KeraLink Eyewear.
A Medical Legacy Repositioned for Public Health
While the eyewear brand is new, its parent nonprofit has longstanding ties to the medical community. KeraLink International began in the 1960s as the Medical Eye Bank of Maryland and later became one of the largest providers of donated corneal tissue in the United States.
Over time, the organization expanded its focus. By the early 2010s, it had shifted from transplant logistics to broader solutions aimed at reducing preventable blindness, especially in low-resource settings. A major turning point came with the recognition that many cases requiring corneal surgery could have been avoided through earlier detection and community-level treatment.
That insight helped shape the company’s direction. According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people globally suffer from vision impairment, with at least one billion cases considered preventable or unaddressed. In the United States, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 60 million adults are at high risk for serious vision problems, yet only half have received a recent eye exam.
By using its nonprofit legacy, KeraLink Eyewear serves not just as a retail brand but as a funding mechanism for long-term international health projects.
Building a Product Line Without Cutting Corners
KeraLink Eyewear offers frames and lenses typically reserved for in-clinic settings, distinguishing itself in a digital marketplace often saturated with low-cost, low-durability options. The company’s products use premium materials such as acetate and titanium, and include practical enhancements like blue-light filtering and polarized lenses.
Its design and distribution choices reflect its broader financial model. Rather than investing in paid brand endorsements or influencer marketing, KeraLink prioritizes simplicity and function. “We’re not paying brand ambassadors or fashion agencies,” Clark said. “We’re reinvesting into medical outreach; every sale supports screenings or supplies in places that need them.”
Clark also noted that the team is intentionally taking a gradual path to market adoption. Early customer feedback has emphasized not only product quality but the opportunity to support a medical mission through an everyday purchase.
Connecting Early Sales to Long-Term Reach
Though still in its first year of sales, KeraLink Eyewear is already supporting outreach efforts that touch more than 500,000 people annually, a scale made possible through the broader operations of its parent nonprofit. Field teams operate in regions such as Central America, East Africa, and parts of the U.S. where access to eyecare remains limited.
KeraLink International has trained more than 140 local healthcare providers who use portable, AI-supported devices to screen for diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and corneal disease. These tools are engineered to work in mobile and resource-constrained environments, where traditional ophthalmologic equipment would be impractical.
“We’ve seen what happens when technology meets local talent,” said Clark. “It’s not about parachuting in short-term aid. It’s about scaling tools people can actually use on their own.”
Reimagining Consumer Spending in Health Access
Unlike brands that follow a buy-one-give-one model, KeraLink Eyewear does not distribute glasses as charitable giveaways. Instead, all profit is directed toward sustainable health infrastructure, such as diagnostics, training, and community screenings. A single eyewear purchase may support dozens of clinical interventions.
The company also diverges from typical startup financing structures. It currently operates without outside investors, allowing it to remain focused on long-term outcomes rather than short-term financial returns. That flexibility, Clark says, has allowed the team to prioritize social impact while maintaining product integrity.
Though its initial catalog is modest, KeraLink Eyewear is planning slow and strategic growth, guided by a model that aims to make clear vision more accessible, one purchase at a time.
Contact Info:
Name: Mark Clark
Email: Send Email
Organization: Keralink Eyewear
Website: http://www.keralink.com
Release ID: 89163893
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