The Noor Dubai Foundation envisions a world where all individuals living in low income regions and suffering from visual disabilities have access to eye healthcare and are given equal and fair opportunities of treatment that will improve their quality of life.

The World Health Organization (WHO) releases regular statistics about blindness and eye diseases at a global scale. According to this data, every year, the number of affected people rises at an alarming rate. In fact, one person in the world goes blind every 5 seconds.

In response to these alarming statistics, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai launched the "Noor Dubai Initiative" on September 3, 2008. Noor Dubai started as an international charitable initiative for the prevention and treatment of blindness and low vision.

"This is an ambitious initiative which aims to deliver preventive eye care to over 1 million people as part of its drive to realize its vision of a world free from curable forms of blindness. Noor Dubai is our latest effort demonstrating Dubai’s continued commitment to being a responsible global citizen and to helping our less fortunate brethren."

~ Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Noor Dubai was launched with the vision of a world free from avoidable causes of blindness. Noor Dubai provided therapeutic, preventative and educational programs to treat and prevent blindness and visual impairment in developing countries on a regional and international scale.

In its first year and following the success achieved of reaching out to over 5.8 million individuals worldwide, a decree was passed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, launching the Noor Dubai Foundation a non-governmental, non-for-profit organization, aiming to eliminate all forms of preventable blindness globally.

The Noor Dubai Foundation is a charitable, humanitarian non-governmental organization specializing in philanthropic work. The Foundation is active both in its home Emirate of Dubai and abroad. This is in accordance to the Foundation's law of establishment (Law 18, Year 2010, Dated August 31st, Issued by the Office of His Highness The Ruler of Dubai)

The Noor Dubai Foundation is an independent entity. This includes all financial, administrative and organizational operations. In accordance with the law, the Foundation is fully entitled to ownership and operation using any/all funds assigned to it.