In the last six years the firm, which opened with just a few patients, has become East Africa's leading eye clinic and offers a wide range of services, from eye tests to laser surgery.

"Right from the onset our dream was to work in a centre that can be able to provide all types of eye care as a

one-stop shop," one of the founders, Dr Kahaki Kimani, told the BBC's series African Dream.

"We also wanted to be a centre of excellence and so, when we saw a lot of our people travelling [for treatment] long distances outside the country - to Europe, to South Africa, to India - we felt that probably it was the right time to bring some of these services closer home," she explained.
Dr Kimani and two other ophthalmologists - Prof Dunera Ilako and Dr Nancy Kiumbura - set the firm in motion with an initial investment of $15,000 (£9,500) which they borrowed from a friend, an eye doctor who lives in Germany and who has given them a lot of additional support, including training.

The three Kenyan ophthalmologists first established a series of optical shops through which they could offer eye tests and glasses to their patients.

Later they decided to set up a centre with state-of-the-art technology that would enable them to provide laser surgery and other specialised treatment, and for this they needed additional funding.

"Initially we tried to get many more ophthalmologists to come and invest with us but they were not willing; they thought that the risks were too big. Family thought we were nuts, colleagues thought we were crazy.

"I mean, how do you raise this kind of money and how ever will you pay it back?"