Research & Publications
Evidence That Changes Lives
At Vision Unlimited, we believe every child deserves the opportunity not only to learn, but to thrive. Our programmes are designed to address the complex realities of children and families living in urban slums, where education, health, nutrition, early childhood development, and social wellbeing are deeply interconnected.
What makes Vision Unlimited unique is our commitment to measuring impact. Every programme is evaluated, every intervention is refined, and whenever possible, our findings are shared through peer-reviewed publications and international academic collaborations.
Our research transforms frontline community experience into evidence that can improve policy, healthcare, education, and child development—not only in India, but globally.
Whether we are studying eye health, nutrition, school readiness, maternal empowerment, socioemotional learning, healthcare access, or educational outcomes, our goal remains the same:
To build evidence-based solutions that improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families.
Research Highlights
- Peer-reviewed publications across ophthalmology, public health, education, psychiatry and community medicine
- International conference presentations
- Community-based implementation research
- Longitudinal educational outcome studies
- Cross-disciplinary collaborations
- Thousands of children and families represented in research
- Evidence used to continuously improve Vision Unlimited programmes
Research Themes
Our work currently focuses on:
- Early Childhood Development
- Education & School Readiness
- Public Health
- Community Health
- Eye Health
- Nutrition
- Women’s Empowerment
- Healthcare Navigation
- Mental Health
- Socioemotional Learning
- Environmental Health
- Urban Poverty
- Health Equity
- Child Development
- Implementation Science
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Healthcare Navigation by Slum School Teachers
Global South Healthcare Journal
Teachers are often the most trusted adults in underserved communities. This paper demonstrates how teachers working in Vision Unlimited’s After School Clubs became effective healthcare navigators, helping families access primary healthcare, government services, immunisation, referrals, and follow-up care.
Read the publication →
Ocular Morbidity Profiles of Out-of-School Children in an Urban Slum (2024)
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
One of the first studies describing eye diseases among out-of-school children living in urban slums. The research identified allergic eye disease, vitamin A deficiency and visual health needs within this vulnerable population, providing valuable evidence for future school eye health programmes.
Read the publication →
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38622857
Hygiene Education in Urban Slums (2023)
International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
This intervention demonstrated that simple hygiene education combined with practical support—including soap, detergent and clothing—significantly improved hygiene practices among vulnerable children attending Vision Unlimited’s After School Clubs.
Read the publication → https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/article/view/10846
After School Clubs: Fostering Protective Factors
Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry
This study explored how After School Clubs strengthen protective factors, reduce behavioural risks, foster belonging, and potentially reduce gang affiliation among vulnerable adolescents.
Read the publication →
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391050413_After-school_Clubs_Fostering_Protective_Factors#fullTextFileContent, Bhartiya S, Singh T.After-school clubs: Fostering protective factors. IndianJ Soc Psychiatry 2024;40:418-23.
Determination of Lung Health Amongst Children Living in Urban Slums
Indian Journal of Community Health
This community-based study examined household air pollution, cooking fuels and lung function in children living in urban slums, highlighting environmental determinants of child health.
You can read the publication here: https://www.iapsmupuk.org/journal/index.php/IJCH/article/view/3374
Theatre as a Modality for Socioemotional Learning
International Journal of Advanced & Integrated Medical Sciences
This paper describes the implementation of theatre-based socioemotional learning within Vision Unlimited’s After School Clubs and demonstrates improvements in confidence, empathy, communication and collaboration.
Read the publication here
https://www.ijaims.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Theatre-SEL-VU-17-11-2025-1-1.pdf
Daycare as a Catalyst
This research explores how affordable community daycare improves maternal employment while simultaneously increasing school attendance among older siblings—particularly girls—demonstrating how early childhood programmes generate benefits across the entire family.
Read more here https://www.jaypeedigital.com/doi/BJOTGH/pdf/10.5005/bjotgh-11016-0031
Conference Presentations
Vision Unlimited’s work has also been presented at international academic conferences.
The European Conference on Education
University College London, London
Reimagining Access to Education: The Impacts of Learning Centres for Marginalised Students in Haryana During the Pandemic
Research Reports
Beyond peer-reviewed publications, Vision Unlimited continuously evaluates programme effectiveness through independent assessments, longitudinal monitoring and implementation research.
These include:
- Ethnographic Impact Assessment
- ASER Longitudinal Educational Assessments
- Programme Evaluation Reports
- Theory of Change Development
- Community Health Assessments
Academic Collaborations
Vision Unlimited has collaborated with researchers, clinicians and institutions across disciplines including:
- Public Health
- Ophthalmology
- Psychiatry
- Education
- Community Medicine
- Child Development
- Social Sciences
Our work has involved collaborations with clinicians, universities and researchers in India and internationally, translating community-based programmes into evidence that informs both practice and policy.
Research Partners & Academic Collaborators
Vision Unlimited’s research has been conducted in collaboration with clinicians, educators and researchers from leading national and international academic and healthcare institutions, including:
- Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
- University of California, San Diego, California, USA
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
- Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, India
- Guru Nanak Eye Centre, New Delhi, India
- Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India
- Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, New Delhi, India
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, India
- Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, India
Together, these collaborations reflect Vision Unlimited’s commitment to rigorous, interdisciplinary research that translates community-based programmes into evidence capable of informing clinical practice, public health, education, and policy.
Research Leadership
Vision Unlimited’s research programme is led by Dr. Shibal Bhartiya, an ophthalmologist, glaucoma specialist, clinician-scientist, and Founder of Vision Unlimited. With more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, 28 textbooks, and editorial leadership of two international journals, Dr. Bhartiya’s work spans clinical ophthalmology, public health, child development, education, and implementation science. Under Dr. Bhartiya’s leadership, Vision Unlimited has embedded research into every stage of programme design, ensuring that community interventions are rigorously evaluated, continuously refined, and shared through peer-reviewed publications, international collaborations, and scientific presentations. By transforming frontline experience into evidence, the organisation aims to develop practical, scalable solutions that improve the lives of vulnerable children and families while contributing to global knowledge in community health and education.
Why We Publish
Publishing our work is not an academic exercise—it is part of our mission.
Children living in underserved communities are often invisible within scientific literature. By documenting their experiences and evaluating our interventions, we aim to strengthen the evidence base for programmes that improve education, health, wellbeing and opportunity.
Every publication represents real children, real families and real communities. By sharing what works—and what can be improved—we hope to help organisations, researchers and policymakers create better futures for vulnerable children everywhere.
Research With Purpose
At Vision Unlimited, evidence is not the end goal—it is the bridge between compassion and lasting change.
Join Us in Building Evidence That Changes Lives
Every publication on this page began with a child, a family, or a teacher whose experiences deserved to be seen, understood, and acted upon. By combining community-led programmes with rigorous evaluation, Vision Unlimited is building practical, scalable solutions for some of the most vulnerable communities.
Whether you are a researcher, university, healthcare institution, CSR partner, foundation, policymaker, or individual supporter, we welcome opportunities to collaborate in advancing evidence-based change.
Together, we can transform frontline experience into knowledge—and knowledge into lasting impact.
We’d love to hear from you.
Interested in collaborating, supporting our research, or partnering with Vision Unlimited? Research is not separate from our work—it is how we ensure our programmes continue to improve. Every study begins in the communities we serve, every publication reflects real-world experience, and every finding helps us build better solutions for vulnerable children and families.
→ Contact us today to explore research partnerships, programme collaborations, CSR opportunities, or ways to support our mission.
Because every child deserves not only hope—but solutions that are proven to work.
Email: contactvisionunlimited@gmail.com (or your preferred email)
Website: https://vision-unlimited.org
Donate: https://vision-unlimited.org/donate