About a quarter of the world's blind population lives in India and most of these cases are reversible or curable. Dr. G. Venkataswamy wanted to find a way to bring eye care to the masses and in 1976 founded the Aravind Eyecare System. Since its foundation, the Aravind Eyecare System has been successfully restoring eyesight to millions of people annually through outpatient eye care and eye surgeries. The Aravind Eye Hospital began in Madurai in a rented house with 11 hospital beds. Today Aravind is now the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world.