By Ali Agha | Director Resource Mobilization
Cataract surgery removes the natural lens of the eye that has developed an opacification, hence referred to as a cataract. The lens fiber over time may undergo metabolic changes which lead to the development of the cataract and loss of transparency, causing impairment or loss of vision. First symptom include increase glare even form small light sources. The surgical procedure removes this cloudy natural lens and replaces with a synthetic lens to restore the lens's transparency.
Cataract is a leading cause of blindness in Pakistan and thousands of its citizens suffer from this curable disease due to inadequacy of available treatments and lack of affordability of such procedures among the general populace. The Eye Department at the Fatima Memorial Hospital has been carrying out such Cataract Surgery procedures since 2005 with the objective of restoring vision to hundreds of cataract blind persons in need of Intra-Ocular Lens (IOL) replacement. The number of patients who had received IOL implants over the last 5 years is depicted in the Figures below. Out of the total 1292 patents, 194 were funded by our donors through the GlobalGiving.
Fatima Memorial is able to serve deserving patients for Cataract Surgery from the poor and destitute with great success. The platform for this penetration has been the Free Eye camps set up every year, which has increased from once a year to two times a year in recent years. This project ensured that we get a wide variety of patients from several low income areas as well as ethnic groups and minorities.
Although funding requirement was historically met for this project as regards the initially posted target amount of $10,689, a huge need still remains. For this reason, we have decided to continue with this project and are hereby seeking funds to offer the IOL Implants to 150 more patients through GlobalGiving.
The prayers of people like Teacher Rasheed (shown in Picture), will stay with you all along.
Extra effort is needed to reach out to the hundreds requiring IOL Implants to restore their sight and for this we seek your help. Your support will enable us to create greater social impact through an enlarged national footprint. If you feel compassionate for our cause and want to make an impact on the lives of the people by giving them the gift of sight, we request you to donate generously.
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