Sight and Life was founded in 1986 by the Swiss global healthcare company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd, and focused on providing assistance to address the problem of Vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.
The organisation also provided grants and scholarships for healthcare professionals in developing countries to attend international conferences, workshops, and courses or academic programs.
[citation needed] When DSM acquired Roche's Fine Chemicals division, Roche Vitamins, in 2003, the company continued the Sight and Life Initiative and Newsletter (which it repackaged as the Sight and Life Magazine), and broadened the Initiative's focus to address a wider range of micronutrient deficiencies, not just vitamin A deficiency.
[citation needed] Since its founding, Sight and Life has supported over 3,200 research and project activities in over 80 countries between Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Organizational partners include Johns Hopkins University, ETH Zürich (the Swiss Federal Research Institute), the North-West University (South Africa), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Micronutrient Forum, the Micronutrient Initiative, Groupe de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET), the Swiss Red Cross, and the Christian Blind Mission.