Through Some Miracle

Lifestyle, Media, Politics
Reading Time: 2 minutes

By  Himalayan Cataract Project, Special for USABR

 

A thirty-something year old blind woman has her sight restored and sees her young baby for the first time; a 6-year-old boy regains his sight, and for the first time in his life, he sees the face of his parents.

Stories like these seem unlikely but are part of everyday life for doctors Sanduk Ruit and Geoff Tabin who have dedicated their lives to eradicating as much unnecessary blindness as possible. They are able to restore sight to those suffering from cataracts with a 10-minute, $25 surgery.

Tabin and Ruit, will be featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes, on Sunday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET/PT as they conduct a cataract and cornea surgery workshop in Myanmar (Burma) resulting in over 700 successful eye surgeries. The program will provide insight on the organization they founded – the Himalayan Cataract Project – and its efforts to partner with local teams throughout the developing world to improve eye care.

Avoidable blindness persists despite known, cost-effective solutions, with 90% of the world’s blind living in low-income countries.  In fact, 18 million people are completely blind due to cataracts – a condition permanently curable with an inexpensive, 10-minute surgery.

“Once someone goes blind in a developing world, their life expectancy is about one-third that of age and health matched peers.”  – Dr. Geoff Tabin

“I could not be more thrilled,” says HCP Chief Executive Officer Job Heintz, “that CBS’ 60 Minutes has committed to sharing our work, providing an important platform for global eye care.  I am hopeful that the program generates greater awareness of our collective ability to dramatically improve eye care throughout the developing world and to have an enormous impact on those suffering from unnecessary blindness. There is still a great need in the world.”

About the Himalayan Cataract Project

The Himalayan Cataract Project, founded in 1995, works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness throughout the developing world providing high quality eye care and education and establishing world-class eye care infrastructure. Himalayan Cataract Project is headquartered in Waterbury, VT, with additional offices in Silver Spring, MD and Salt Lake City, UT.

SOURCE Himalayan Cataract Project

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