Rotary members in Ireland are joining forces to strengthen an appeal which aims to eradicate all curable blindness on the African continent.
In Africa, more than seven million people suffer from needless blindness. More than half of this is due to cataracts.
However, using new surgical technology, patients with cataracts can regain their sight, and blindness can be cured by a 10-minute operation costing €25.
This has drawn the attention of Rotary clubs across Ireland who are backing the Right to Sight campaign.
As part of a co-ordinated appeal, Rotary Ireland is asking clubs to make a minimum £200 /€250 contribution which would give the power of sight to 1,000 people.
Rotary Lisburn has been at the forefront of the campaign by helping to provide a state-of-the art fundus camera which can take images of the eye without the need for eye drops.
Anyone can use the camera, and these images can be sent by computer to the cloud where surgeons as far away as Ireland assess the treatment needed.
The Right to Sight charity is being driven by eye specialists to empower African eye surgeons to use cutting edge technology to eliminate needless blindness on the continent.
Right to Sight has trained more than 320 eye specialists, nurses, clinic attendants, administrative personnel and managers.
So far 260,000 people have regained sight through a simple cataract operation enabled through Right to Sight since 2005.
Right to Sight has trained more than 320 eye specialists, nurses, clinic attendants, administrative personnel and managers.
Right to Sight also has several projects in Kenya, including a training centre for cataract surgery in Kisii, and supporting cataract surgery training at the University of Nairobi.
There is desperate need for training ophthalmologists in eye care in children, which is the focus of attention at the Kwale District Eye centre in Mombasa.
