More than 200 000 face blindness as funding for surgery runs out
This as the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) calls for all countries globally to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.
AN ESTIMATED 290 000 South Africans could become blind as a result of untreated cataracts, said The Right to Sight Trust (RTST), which is the philanthropic arm of the Opthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA). This as the organisation runs out of funding to cover the cost of vital surgical consumables, such as intraocular lens (IOL) implants that restore vision.
RTST has contributed more than R50-million in services over the past three years to support such vision-restoring operations, said RTST chairperson, Dr Bayanda Mbambisa.
“Although we have been able to assist in improving access to high quality eye care for those in need through the Second Sight Project, RTST will struggle to accomplish its goals of ending preventable blindness in the target year of 2020,” said Mbambisa.
The Right to Sight Trust and the Second Sight project, and its forerunner Eyecare 2000, are OSSA’s response to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) call for all countries globally to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. Additionally, OSSA’s The Second Sight Project enables cataract sufferers from low-income households who are unable to afford private medical care and have been on a public hospital waiting list for over a year to access sponsored cataract surgery.
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“ In the past three years, we have helped 2 071 people in South Africa. Based on a conservative estimate that one cataract sufferer impacts the lives of six people, over 12,400 individuals have benefited indirectly through this partnership that restores patients’ independence along with their sight. Yet, as we enter 2020, the target year set by WHO, funds are dwindling. It’s devastating that the project is once more struggling to accomplish its mission,” said Mbambisa.
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“In 2019 alone we helped 646 people regain their sight,” added Mbambisa.
For more information, contact Cindy Buské, National OSSA Right to Sight Operations Manager at cindy@righttosight.org or 082 600 5970.
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