Isight Missions

WHY CATARACT SURGERY

Unoperated cataracts are an important cause of low vision and the leading cause of blindness which is cured by a 30-minute surgery. According to the World Health Organization: Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye which initially prevents clear vision and eventually progresses to blindness if left untreated. Although most cases of cataract are related to the aging process, occasionally children can be born with this condition, or a cataract may develop after eye injuries, inflammation, and some other eye diseases. The treatment of cataract is surgical and very successful in restoring sight. The opaque lens is removed and replaced by an artificial intraocular lens. Although cataracts can be surgically removed, in many remote parts of the developing world barriers exist that prevent access to this surgery. The World Health Organization estimates:
285 million people are visually impaired worldwide
246 million have low vision and 39 million are blind
Unoperated cataracts cause 33 percent of visual impairment and 50 percent of blindness worldwide
19 million children are visually impaired
90 percent of visually impaired persons live in developing countries

80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured

WHAT WE DO

iSight Missions volunteers provide eye evaluations and cataract as well as other vision-restoring surgeries. Volunteer ophthalmologists are trained in specialized surgical techniques specifically developed to remove advanced cataracts prevalent in developing countries and volunteer nurses and nursing students are trained in assisting ophthalmologists and optometrists. We empower local eye care providers to establish self-supporting eye clinics to offer permanent care to impoverished persons. Self-supporting eye clinics are being established with local physicians dedicated to serving the poor in Mexico, the Caribbean and South Pacific. iSight Missions builds sustainable capacity, not dependency! WHERE WE GO

iSight Missions restores vision to impoverished adults and children in developing countries. Volunteers have travelled to: Asia and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, Mexico, and the South Pacific. Missions are approximately 1 to 2 weeks and sight is typically restored to 100 to 300 people