Meet Nimish A Bharadwaj | High School Senior, Basis Scottsdale and Founder of Scleralsforall.com

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nimish A Bharadwaj and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nimish, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I would start with a small clarification here that this is Not a Business this is a NPO registered in the state of Arizona and filed for 501(c)(3) registration (still pending with IRS) with a mission to educate, bring awareness and help underserved patients with corneal disorders.

Personal Motivation
ScleralsForAll was founded in response to watching my father struggle with keratoconus—a progressive corneal disorder—for the last three decades. His experience with the disease’s visual impairment, the limitations it placed on daily activities like night driving due to halos and light distortion, and the financial burden of accessing appropriate treatment ($2,000-$4,000 per pair of scleral lenses) made this issue deeply personal. What began as a family challenge became the catalyst for addressing a systemic problem affecting an estimated 23 million people globally with keratoconus.

The Problem Being Solved
Scleral lenses are life-changing for keratoconus and severe ocular surface disease patients, but cost $2,000-$4,000 per pair. Insurance coverage is limited, few providers offer fitting expertise, and most critically—existing subsidies, discounts, and hardship funds remain unknown to patients and providers, creating an information gap that blocks access.
Core Approach
1. Information Clearinghouse: Public directory of verified vouchers, discounts, hardship funds, referral pathways, and prior-authorization workflows
2. Partnership Network: Clinics, manufacturers, and academic centers across three continents
3. Direct Financial Support: GoFundMe proceeds subsidize costs for underserved patients through partner clinics
4. Future Innovation: AI-enhanced fitting pilot (with Dr. David Woods, MD) to reduce visits from 3-4 appointments to 1-2
Established Partnerships
United States:
• Dr. Elise Kramer (Vice President, Scleral Lens Society) – public endorsement + exclusive discount code
• BostonSight – voucher program access
• Visionary Optics – direct referral pathway
• Fairview Eye Care (TX) – Bausch & Lomb hardship access
• USC Roski Eye Institute – pending institutional approval
International:
• Cairns Eye Care (Dubai) – 20-patient discount program
• CODE Eye Care (Chennai, India) – voucher program
• Dr. Kiran Challa (India/UAE) – exclusive patient discount
• LV Prasad Eye Institute (India) – formal partnership discussions ongoing
Advisory/Guidance:
• EssilorLuxottica OneSight Foundation (Prof. Kovin Naidoo) – scaling affordability initiatives
Current Status
✓ Partnership infrastructure across three continents
✓ Active discount codes with multiple providers
✓ Operational information clearinghouse
→ Patient impact metrics tracking beginning January 2026

Next Steps
• Building a global cost simulator for scleral lenses
• Formalize partnerships pending institutional approval
• Implement standardized metrics tracking across partner clinics
• Develop Bridge Voucher intake system for clinics lacking formal hardship funds
• Launch AI fitting workflow pilot

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Countless summer afternoons in an optometrist’s office shaped my childhood, and years of watching my dad suffer from keratoconus, a corneal disease, defined my passion: help others see. I founded ScleralsForAll in 2023, driven by my belief that action is the strongest way to overcome any challenge. What began as a fundraising initiative has evolved into a full-fledged nonprofit organization, establishing international partnerships and serving as an information clearinghouse by 2025, all dedicated to making scleral lenses more affordable. The lunch periods spent in my car catching doctors on the run felt hopeless, and the hundreds of outreach rejections angered me. The market failure of scleral lenses seems cruel to the millions who suffer globally. But my dad’s lifelong struggle inspired persistence, after all, he defied keratoconus by being the first in his family to immigrate to the US.

I developed a four-part strategic plan: raising awareness, connecting patients with financial support, establishing clinical partnerships, and advocating for policy change. This approach helped me secure partnerships with eight clinics globally, including BostonSight and USC Roski Eye Institute. My research revealed that many insurance providers don’t cover comprehensive eye care, leaving scleral lenses expensive even for insured patients. To address this, I educated patients on insurance options through our website by interviewing ophthalmologists and investigating policies. I also raised and donated over $5,000 to clinics to subsidize patients in need.
To combat this, I decided to educate patients on insurance offerings on our website by interviewing ophthalmologists and investigating insurance policies. Alongside this initiative, I raised and donated over $5,000 to clinics to subsidize patients in need.
However, what I’m unexpectedly proud of is not the platform I built, or the voucher programs I coordinated, but rather the transformation within myself. From the shy teenager afraid to reach out, to the one who learned persistence through discomfort. ScleralsForAll taught me that a “vision”ary measures impact not only in dollars raised, but also through the value of empathy and resilience.

I encourage you to visit our website https://scleralsforall.com to see how we’re serving underserved patients. If our mission resonates with you and you’d like to contribute, please get in touch.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Days 1-2: Scottsdale Old Town galleries and shops, Pinnacle Peak hike (early morning), Desert Botanical Garden (late afternoon). Eat at The Moxies, FnB Restaurant, Kazimierz Wine Bar.
Day 3: Phoenix
Phoenix Zoo, Musical Instrument Museum. Dinner at Pizzeria Bianco or Peacock Restaurant.
Day 4: Sedona
Cathedral Rock or Devil’s Bridge hike, lunch at Elote Cafe, art galleries in Tlaquepaque, sunset at Airport Mesa.
Day 5: Grand Canyon
South Rim viewpoints, rim trail walk, partial Bright Angel Trail hike. Consider staying overnight.
Day 6: Prescott
Historic downtown and Whiskey Row, Watson Lake for photos and hiking.
Day 7: Relax & Wrap Up
Salt River tubing or hot air balloon ride, spa time, Arcade -Talking Stick resort
Highlights: Nature (hiking, desert views, red rocks), local cuisine, art/culture, and Arizona’s diverse landscapes from desert to mountains to canyon.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My father – Obviously central. His 30-year journey with keratoconus isn’t just your motivation—it’s the foundation of everything. His resilience through three decades of visual challenges and financial barriers gave me both the urgency and the lived expertise to understand this problem from the inside. Institutional Partners Who Took a Chance and supported me using exclusive discount coupons or legitimacy in a field where i am a high school student.

Dr Matthew Lyons,, Fairview Eye Care,TX

Dr Zach Cairns, Cairns & Co, Dubai

Dr Elise Kramer , President, Scleral Lens Education Society

Dr. David Woods, MD for AI fitting

Professor Kovin Naidoo (EssilorLuxottica OneSight Foundation) – Providing guidance on scaling affordability initiative

• CODE Eye Care (Chennai)
• USC Roski Eye
• Dr. Kiran Challa (India/UAE)
• BostonSight
• Visionary Optics

Website: https://scleralsforall.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578999655658