The Comtrust Eye Care Society was registered under the Societies Registration Act in 1998. The Society was originally formed for coordinating the charitable activities and also the community outreach programmes of Comtrust Eye Hospital, Calicut. 

The Comtrust Eye Hospital and the Comtrust Eye Care Society were established in Calicut at a time when facilities for proper treatment for eye diseases were not easily available in the northern districts of Kerala.  These institutions were established with the main intention of delivering quality eye care to the common man at affordable prices and to offer comprehensive eye care including surgeries at  free of costto the poor.

The core values of the Comtrust Eye Care Society have been identified as “Excellence, Transparency, Credibility & Charity”
During the 15 years of its existence, the Society extended its service to the Districts of Kannur Palakkad and Kasargod by establishing the following hospitals:

    • Comtrust Eye Care Hospital, Thalassery (started in 2006) – fully owned by the Society. 
    • Ottapalam Eye Care Hospital (started in 2008) – a joint venture with the Ottapalam Welfare Trust (Subsequently the Hospital was entrusted to the Ottapalam Welfare Trust with effect from 1st April 2013.)
    • SIMS Comtrust Eye Care Hospital Kanhangad (started in 2008) – a joint venture with the Sachidananda Institute of Medical Sciences.
  
 

All the 3 hospitals are equipped with full-fledged operation theatres with state-of-the-art technology  and is capable of  treating  all eye ailments.

Community Outreach Programme:

The Society conducts regular free eye screening camps on all Sundays and National Holidays in many centres in the rural areas of Malabar as well as in the Hospitals, with the co-operation of District Blindness Control Society, local clubs, NGOs and service organizations like Lions Clubs etc. Patients with minor ailments are treated at the campsite itself.  Those who require cataract surgery are advised to report at Comtrust Eye Hospital or any of our other hospitals mentioned above, for surgery.  These patients are operated free of cost with the implantation of Intra Ocular Lenses (IOLs) and all the expenses viz. boarding, bed charges, medicines etc. are borne by the Hospital.  Spectacles prescribed to the patients at the eye screening camps and also at the hospitals are provided at  very nominal cost. 

A free section each is also functioning at all the  hospitals on all days.  Any patient can walk into the free section anytime and get free consultation.  Cataract surgeries are accorded to the needy patients and only a nominal amount towards the cost of IOL is charged at the free section.  These patients are also provided with free boarding and all other facilities as in the case of patients selected from eye screening camps.

  
 

Details of  our  outreach programme as at the end of September 2013:

1. No. of Eye Screening Camps conducted so far
1,829
2. No. of patients examines in these Camps
458,243
3. No. of patients operated at free of cost 
52,735
4. No. of patients treated  free at our hospitals 
192,257

Details of patients who had so far availed our facility:   

1. No. of patients registered in the Outpatient sections  
 
a.
 Comtrust Eye Hospital, Calicut
606,078
 
b.
 Other hospitals under Comtrust Eye Care Society
199,708
2. No. of patients operated for cataract at
 
a.
 Comtrust Eye Hospital 
43,677
 
b.
 Other hospitals under Comtrust Eye Care Society
13,687


Occasionally, the Eye Care Society extends financial assistance/concession to the needy patients for the treatment of other eye diseases also.

Vision Centres/Sub centres:

1 sub centre is functioning under the Society at Muttil (Wynad District) mainly with the  aim of extending free treatment to the tribal people.  Our doctors and paramedical staff visit the sub-centre regularly and examine the patients.  The patients who require further treatment are transported to our hospital at the expense of the hospital and cataract surgeries are accorded to them at free of cost at the Comtrust Eye Hospital, Calicut.

Comtrust Eye Bank

The Comtrust Eye Bank was started in August 2000.  The Eye Bank is a member of the Eye Bank Association of India.  A Corneal Transplantation Centre is functioning in Calicut as per the guidelines of ‘National Programme for Control of Blindness’ under Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India. The Eye Bank has the facility to collect corneas round the clock at the premises of the deceased or at any hospital in and around Calicut.  The corneas thus collected are  transplanted on the needy patients.  We have, so far, successfully conducted more than 343 corneal transplantations.  All the services connected with the Eye Bank are entirely free of cost.  The eye bank is provided with a Toll Free Number (1053) for easy access by the public.

Screening of School children:

The Society is giving much emphasis on timely detection and treatment of eye disorders among children.  This programme has a very significant  objective, since defective vision or partial blindness in children will seriously affect their educational carrier. the The programme has been implemented to cover all the schools in Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargod and Wynad Districts and we have so far, examined more than 200,000 school children and  corrective measures have been taken in the case of the needy children.