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Good practice Imported

Peek Vision — AI-Assisted Smartphone Eye Screening Has Now Reached One in Nine Kenyans

Kenya · Nairobi · See the Kenya profile · See the Nairobi profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 39% 76/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Peek Vision's smartphone screening software, used by non-specialist health workers in 13 African and Asian countries since 2018, has tested over 16 million people and connected 1.6 million to care; in Kenya, CBM's Vision Impact Project has screened one in nine citizens.

16 million+
People screened (all 13 countries)
1.6 million
People connected to care (all countries)
1 in 9
Kenyans screened via the programme (as of 2026)
Peek Vision — AI-Assisted Smartphone Eye Screening Has Now Reached One in Nine Kenyans

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Peek Vision, with CBM Christian Blind Mission and Kenya's Ministry of Health
Period
2018 – ongoing (Kenya Vision Impact Project from 2022)
Keywords
digital health, assistive technology, accessibility, e-inclusion

Context

Since 2018, Peek Vision's smartphone application has let non-specialist health workers conduct vision screening without dedicated ophthalmic equipment, using the phone's camera and a validated testing protocol to flag people who need referral to eye care services.

Activities

The platform has been implemented by governments, NGOs and eye hospitals in 13 countries across Africa and Asia. In Kenya, the Vision Impact Project (VIP), led by CBM Christian Blind Mission with Kenya's Ministry of Health since 2022, has used Peek to screen students and community members, strengthen referral pathways into the health system, and generate district-level data to guide eye-care planning.

Results

Screening more than 16 million people and connecting 1.6 million of them to care overall; as of 2026, one in nine Kenyans has had their vision tested through the programme. Peek was named a 2026 Zero Project Awardee following a review of 586 nominations from 93 countries by more than 400 experts with and without disabilities.

Conclusions

Published figures cover screening and referral volumes rather than treatment completion; no independent data on how many referred Kenyans went on to receive and complete eye care was found in public reporting.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Cost not disclosed; smartphone-based model designed to be low-cost per screening.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Platform since 2018; Kenya Vision Impact Project since 2022.
Staffing & skills
non-specialist health workers conducting screening, CBM Christian Blind Mission, Kenya Ministry of Health

Conditions for success

  • smartphone-based screening removing the need for dedicated ophthalmic equipment
  • district-level data generation to guide eye-care planning
  • government-NGO partnership (CBM + Ministry of Health) sustaining reach

Common failure modes

  • no independent data on how many referred people actually complete eye care

Where it fits

Governance type
NGO-government partnership
Scale
multi-country (13 countries)
Income level
lower-middle income (Kenya)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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