Eyewear Shop Set to Open at Addu Equatorial Hospital

An eyewear shop is set to open at Addu Equatorial Hospital, expanding access to prescription glasses in the southernmost region of the Maldives.

Many patients in the area have faced difficulties obtaining prescription glasses even after completing eye examinations. To address this gap, the new eyewear shop is expected to begin operations next week.

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The facility will be operated in collaboration with Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), which launched the government’s first eyewear shop. Similar services have since been introduced at Hulhumalé Hospital.

Government hospitals have traditionally provided diagnosis and treatment for various eye conditions but have not offered prescription eyewear services. As a result, patients have often relied on private providers, where the cost of prescription glasses is high and paid entirely out of pocket.

The government last year increased the Aasandha allowance for prescription glasses to MVR 2,000, a measure intended to ease the financial burden on patients.