In just 48 hours The Fred Hollows Foundation has restored sight to 254 people at an eye camp in far west Nepal.

The high-volume surgeries were carried out with The Foundation’s partner in Nepal, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology. 

A team of three eye doctors, including Tilganga’s Deputy Medical Director Dr Reeta Gurung, travelled to the village of Rajapur, in Bardiya District, near the border with India. They restored sight to 254 people who live in and around the village, which is bordered by floodplains and rivers.

The surgeries took place at the village medical centre. Patients recovered in a makeshift hospital ward set up in the local school. Teenagers from surrounding areas volunteered their time to assist patients before and after surgery.

Throughout the year, doctors from Tilganga travel to remote parts of Nepal to restore sight to people with preventable blindness. These patients would otherwise be condemned to a lifetime of darkness simply because of poverty and a lack of local eye health services. 

Learn more about The Foundation's Nepal Program.