by Tansy Kaschak
The vast Himalayas offer some of the world's most extraordinary views. Spanning Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Tibet, the mountains are visible from far away and even from space, and are revered throughout the region. Yet people living among the highest mountains on Earth face some of the world's highest rates of blindness. In Nepal, more than 70% of blindness has been attributed to cataracts and limited access to advanced eye care.
Compared with people with sight, those living with blindness can face dramatically shorter life expectancies. In the rugged Himalayan terrain, blindness can make it difficult to work or live independently. Family members who provide care may have to leave work or school. In the 1990s, Jeffrey Tabin, a young American doctor working at a hospital in Nepal who had climbed Everest, searched for a solution. After meeting Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr. Sanduk Ruit, he dedicated himself to treating curable cataracts. In 1995, the two founded the Himalayan Cataract Project to provide high-quality eye care and train other doctors. With local partners, the project has since helped restore sight to more than one million people.
What are cataracts?
Worldwide, an estimated 217 million people were living with low vision and 36 million with blindness at the time this article was written. Many cases of cataract-related blindness are preventable with appropriate treatment. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, most commonly associated with aging. In poorer regions, malnutrition, injury, disease and ultraviolet exposure may accelerate its development. Cataracts can be treated by replacing the cloudy lens with a clear, flexible artificial implant, but shortages of doctors mean that treatment remains inaccessible to many people.
What treatment is possible?
Cataract surgery dates back to the fifth century BCE. Today, the procedure can be quick and inexpensive, transforming people's health and lives. Through Dr. Ruit's work, surgery can take as little as ten minutes, with materials costing approximately US$25. Since the Himalayan Cataract Project began, Nepal's blindness prevalence reportedly fell from 1% to 0.24%, approaching levels in Western countries. Nepal and Bhutan were among the first countries to record such reductions.
The miracle of cataract surgery
For someone who has lost their sight, seeing light again can feel miraculous. After cataract surgery, vision may return within hours or by the next day in approximately 80% of cases.
In my village, cataracts were accepted as an inevitable part of growing old, just as hair turns white. Dr. Jeffrey Tabin has described how people who lose hope can feel as though they are simply waiting to die. Seeing his team implant lenses for the first time astonished him: cataract surgery can restore not only sight, but vitality.
How the Himalayan Cataract Project works
The Himalayan Cataract Project, also known as Cure Blindness, works to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness in underserved countries. By training local providers and working with partners, it helps communities establish sustainable eye-care services. Beyond Nepal and Bhutan, its work has extended to more than 20 countries, including North Korea, India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar, China, Kenya and Tanzania.
Restoring vision transforms lives and can strengthen local economies and communities. Yet eye care often receives less attention than other global health priorities. In resource-limited countries, infectious diseases may take precedence. Nevertheless, restoring sight can profoundly affect families, communities and entire nations. As the project's development director Sarah Judd explains, this is why the team goes where it is needed and does its work.
How to support the Himalayan Cataract Project
A donation of US$25 can help restore someone's sight and hope. Donate to Cure Blindness.
