Spotlight: The Himalayan Cataract Project
Drs. Ruit and Tabin have proven that hospital quality standards can be applied in poor areas lacking electricity and clean water. Their inventive approach and dogged perseverance made what 20 years ago was considered impossible – possible. Today HCP reaches the most unreachable patients wherever its services are needed.
Since 1995, the Himalayan Cataract Project and its global partners have performed more than 445,000 ophthalmic surgeries in the developing world through improvised mobile eye clinics and high-volume cataract campaigns. The life-changing, manual, sutureless procedures can be completed in less than 10 minutes at a material cost of just $25 apiece. Some 18 million needlessly-blind cataract patients still await care, most of them with no place to turn.
Gift of Sight: A Video by Yaara Bou Melhem
We found this video by Yaara Bou Melhem to be particularly moving and informative about the changes that Himalayan Cataract Project is making in our world.
Did you know?
Blindness is most prevalent in developing countries where malnutrition, inadequate health and education services, poor water quality, and a lack of sanitation lead to a high incidence of eye disease. Fully 90 percent of the world’s visually impaired live in low-income settings. In the least-developed countries, and in particular Sub-Saharan Africa, cataracts are responsible for half of all avoidable blindness.
Support the Himalayan Cataract Project
Learn more about Himalayan Cataract Project and the work Drs. Ruit and Tabin and their teams are doing.
You can join the Glad to Be Here Foundation in making a difference in people’s lives with a small donation.