Seva’s partner in Guatemala, Visualiza, will be providing 100 cataract surgeries to the most needy on October 13th to commemorate World Sight Day. On the 3 days leading up to World Sight Day, Visualiza will be performing eye screenings to evaluate patients and identify those with bilateral cataracts causing blindness. The first 100 patients identified will have their surgeries on World Sight Day.
Visualiza's Dr. Nico in Guatemala on World Sight Day performing a free cataract surgery
This is a momentous occasion for Visualiza as they have been fundraising all year to reach this goal and provide the necessary life-changing cataract surgeries. These surgeries will allow people to re-enter the workforce and provide for their families and allow children to go to school and reach their full potential. Giving the gift of sight will help break the cycle of poverty and open up a whole new world for these people. Visualiza is the only institution in Guatemala to participate in World Sight Day and the first to run an event of this kind in Central America. The dedicated team of eye care professionals headed by ophthalmologist, Dr. Mariano Yee, are truly remarkable. Estimates suggest that there are over 80,000 who are currently blind from cataracts and thousands more children, women and men go blind every year in Guatemala. Visualiza has established a unique model in Latin America to deliver eye care to the poor and to children. Visualiza is already doing about 30% of all the cataract surgeries in the country with only 2% of the nation’s ophthalmologists. Visualiza is the only institution providing screening of children aged 5-15. Last year they screened over 30,000 kids. Fortunately, Seva has created a strong partnership with the Visualiza Eye Care System for the provision of high-quality eye care services. This family-run network includes three eye hospitals and several smaller eye care centers in development. The eye hospitals are located in Guatemala City, San Benito (near Flores, in the rural Peten region) and Jutiapa, in eastern Guatemala Wishing the best of luck to Visualiza tomorrow and their historic 100 cataract surgeries for World Sight Day! To learn more about Visualiza visit www.visualiza.org.gt To learn more about Seva’s work with Visualiza in Guatemala visit http://www.seva.ca/sevainguatemala.htm
