“If McDonald’s can do it for hamburgers, why can’t we do it for eye care?”, thought the founder of Aravind Eye Hospital in 1976. Five decades later, inspired by processes implemented by the fast food giant, the Indian hospital chain performs around 500,000 surgeries a year -- many for free. Since the pandemic struck, their efficient assembly-line model has been put to the test as they grapple with a surgery backlog. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES -- This story is being published to coincide with World Sight Day.