The Barraquer Foundation organises an expedition to Mumbai

27/10/2025

During the week of 6 to 10 October, a team from the Barraquer Foundation  made up of Dr. Ainhoa Martínez Grau, Dr Estel·la Rojas, and optometrists Alba Herrero, Susana Escalera and Victoria Escoz — all professionals from the Barraquer Ophthalmology Centre — travelled to Mumbai (India) to carry out comprehensive eye health examinations for the users of the Mumbai Smiles Foundation.

Five working days were organised in three different areas of the city: on the 6th and 7th in the Chhedanagar district, on the 8th and 9th in Shyam Nagar, and on the 10th in Mulund East. In total, we attended to 1,046 people of all ages in situations of vulnerability. The operation of the sessions and coordination with the local support staff were highly efficient, allowing us to serve an average of more than 200 users per day, substantially improving upon the records of the 2023 expedition.

The next step will be to respond to the eye health issues identified; in this regard, over the coming weeks, prescription glasses will be delivered to 391 people, and the most complex surgical cases that should be treated at the Barraquer Ophthalmology Centre will be reviewed with the medical team of the Barraquer Foundation.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire team of the Mumbai Smiles Foundation for their hospitality, generosity and invaluable collaboration. They treated us wonderfully from the very first day and organised the logistics of the sessions with great diligence.