Nepal Eye Program was officially launched in July 1992 to support the prevention & control of blindness in Nepal and the region. Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) is the implementing body of the Nepal Eye Program, a not-for-profit, community-based, non-government organization. With an aim to act as a model for treatment, research and training, independent yet working in co-operation with all other eye care centres and organizations in Nepal, the current TIO facility was opened in 1994.
In the early years, working with The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF), Australia, TIO played a key role to help refine and adapt a practical, safe, and affordable technique of intraocular lens implant for cataract surgery in developing countries. Another key achievement in the early days was the establishment of the country's first eye bank, in conjunction with Tissue Banks International in Baltimore, USA, and Lions International.