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Today in the world there are 39 million blind people,
most of whom live without sight just because they are poor.
The real tragedy is that 80% of all cases of blindness could be prevented or cured
with straightforward and low-cost treatments.
At Sightsavers, we believe no-one should be needlessly blind
which is why, over the past 60 years,
Sightsavers has treated over 200 million people for eye conditions that can blind
and carried out over seven million operations to save sight.
Every year, we train over 150,000 primary eye care workers,
community volunteers, specialist teachers and cataract surgeons
to help those who need it most.
Sightsavers’ mission is to eliminate preventable blindness
and make sure those whose sight can’t be restored receive the support they need to live independently.
We carry out this work with local partners in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
It’s these partners who are at the very heart of the communities
that are best placed to deliver the lasting change we want to achieve.
Our partners provide training to community health workers,
so they can identify and treat people during home visits and prevent more complex eye problems occurring.
And to reach large numbers of people,
our health teams go out to remote villages and hold eye camps to diagnose and treat eye problems
such as reduced vision, cataract and trachoma.
Cataract occurs when the eye’s lens, which is responsible for producing clear images, clouds over.
Trachoma is a very painful condition which forces the eyelid to turn inwards,
making eyelashes scratch the eyeball.
At the camp, each person will have their eyes tested
and, when surgery is required, we are able to act quickly and take them to a hospital.
Here, Sightsavers and its partners can perform the straightforward, life-changing procedures
and give the follow-up care that prevents blindness.
In Africa, our local partners train community volunteers to distribute the drug Mectizan
that prevents river blindness, a blinding condition which can result from the bite of the black fly.
Volunteers are taught how to determine the correct dosage of the drug,
as well as how to keep a record of the distribution.
Sightsavers and its partners also train village workers
to spread simple eye care messages among the community.
At the heart of Sightsavers’ work is ensuring that all people have access to the eye healthcare they need,
that treatment is not beyond their reach and that those who are blind or have low vision have their voices heard.
If you’d like to find out more or would like to make a donation,
we’d love to hear from you.