Himalayan Cataract Project: Remote Eye Camps

Hetauda Community Eye Hospital (HCEH) in Nepal organized an outreach microscopic eye clinic in April.  Patients were screened from five different locations, and 335 surgeries were performed.  Himalayan Cataract Project Co-Directors Dr. Sanduk Ruit and Dr. Geoff Tabin, as well as Dr. Sanjita Sharma and Dr. Rachana Singh Rana from HCEH performed the surgeries.

HCEH is located in Southern Nepal and is a non-profit, sister organization of Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, which is also supported by the Himalayan Cataract Project.  Through outreach microscopic eye clinics we are able to reach people in rural areas who would normally not have the ability to travel to the hospitals for treatment.  By providing these outreach clinics, HCP is able to reach the most needy patients and provide high quality care, no matter their location or ability to pay.

Doctors Angira Shrestha and Sanjita Sharma managed a two-day cataract workshop at the Hetauda Community Eye Hospital in Nepal. A total of 819 patients were screened and 157 cataract operations were provided.  Among the patients was Binu Maya Chepang a resident of Kakada VDC Makwanpur. Binu walked for seven hours to come to the workshop and receive treatment. She is now cataract free and her vision has been restored.

Doctors Geoff Tabin and Huck Holz worked with partners from Gondar University Hospital in Ethiopia to manage a high-volume cataract workshop at Debre-Tabor Hospital. During the workshop, 629 surgeries were provided including 13 pediatric cataract surgeries. Over the next year, HCP will be working to enhance the ophthalmology teaching programs at Gondar, with a focus on residency and sub-specialty fellowship training.

In October, the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) held two remote eye camps in Nepal, one in Hetauda and another in Phaplu.

HCP Co-Directors Drs. Geoff Tabin and Sanduk Ruit visited the Hetauda Community Eye Hospital and helped in an outreach microsurgical eye clinic. Affiliated Ophthalmologist Dr. Alan Crandall also participated, along with Hetauda ophthalmologists Drs. Pratibha Lama Joshi and Angira Shrestha.

A total of 1,200 patients were screened and 247 cataract surgeries were provided. 

Following Hetauda, Drs. Tabin and Crandall, together with partners from the District Community Eye Center, Solu Hospital, Nepal Red Cross Society and Himalayan Health and Environment Services, HCP and Tilganga, managed a two-day high-volume surgical event at the Phaplu Community Eye Center in honor of World Sight Day. 1,551 patients were screened and 92 cataract surgeries were provided to people from Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga and Khotang. 

Tilamaya Bishwokarma, a 70 year old woman in Nepal, lost her sight more than a year and a half ago.  Unable to receive treatment in her remote village, Tilamaya was carried to Phaplu to receive cataract surgery.  After her successful cataract surgery she stated, "I never thought I would see this day."

Bishnu Maya Thami, a 51-year-old female from a rural village in Nepal, was blind for two years before arriving at the Dolakha Eye Center in May 2012. Before her sight was restored, Bishnu Maya was completely dependent on her daughter-in-law and neighbors. Through an outreach event, Bishu had her sight restored by a team from Tilganga - HCP's flagship training center. 

Since November 2010, when HCP committed essential funds allowing Tilganga to take over the eye center’s management, more than 10,500 patients have benefited from its services. Tilganga’s clinical staff travels to Dolakha four times a year to perform outreach surgical events restoring sight to patients like Bishnu who wouldn’t be able to make the trip to Kathmandu and who would otherwise have no access to eye care.

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Jomgon Kontrol Eye Center (JKEC) is one of HCP sponsored eye centers located in Kalimpong, India. The center’s outreach program conducts outreach eye camps twice every month. Last month, the outreach team set out for an eye camp in Central Dooars an area with a high percentage of cataract patients. They shared the story of one of the camp's patient.

Pinki Mahali is a 46 years old, single mother whose alcoholic and abusive husband left by herself to look after their 7 years old daughter. She was determined to make a living without any help from her husband until she developed cataracts in both eyes. Losing her sight was a huge setback for her as it became difficult for her to earn a living and support her daughter. That was until she was referred to JKEC for surgery. After the removal of the eye patch she regained her confidence and she is now ready to work again and look after her daughter.

On behalf of all the patients receiving care in outreach eye camps, thank you for your support.