Improving sight with a smartphone – Andrew Bastawrous on ending preventable blindness

Over a billion people live with preventable vision loss. Eye surgeon and Rolex Awards Laureate Andrew Bastawrous has created a smartphone app that is transforming eyecare, facilitating sight restoration for millions and changing lives. He tells Tom Whipple, how glasses – a 700-year-old invention – have transformed his own life, and why he’s determined no one should lose their sight for lack of access.Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Guest: Andrew Bastawrous, eye surgeon and founder of Peek VisionHost: Tom Whipple, science writer, The TimesSeries Producer: Priyanka DeladiaSound Designer: David CracklesThis podcast is advertiser funded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Over a billion people live with preventable vision loss. Eye surgeon and Rolex Awards Laureate Andrew Bastawrous has created a smartphone app that is transforming eyecare, facilitating sight restoration for millions and changing lives. He tells Tom Whipple, how glasses – a 700-year-old invention – have transformed his own life, and why he’s determined no one should lose their sight for lack of access.Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. Guest: Andrew Bastawrous, eye surgeon and founder of Peek VisionHost: Tom Whipple, science writer, The TimesSeries Producer: Priyanka DeladiaSound Designer: David CracklesThis podcast is advertiser funded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode was published on October 23, 2025.

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