Cataract Chronicles-25 years
As I celebrate my 25th year volunteering as an eye surgeon in Southeast Asia. I am delighted to share photos and stories about the vision challenges and the people and cultures of India, Nepal, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. - Dr. Gary Barth
Chronicle 35 - The Coming Tsunami of Preventable Blindness
The Lancet is the oldest and most esteemed medical journal in the world. Their Global Health Division offers a bleak assessment of the current status of trying to prevent in their words, the coming “Tsunami of Cataract Blindness” in the developing world.
Blindness is Set to Triple by 2050
Lancet Global Health
predicts cases will rise from 36 million to 115 million by 2050, if treatment is not improved by better funding.
“Better funding” will help, but money alone will not be enough in areas lacking quality surgical care. A charity eye clinic that I know very well from 12 trips to Maharashtra, India, has excellent equipment and support from Rotary and other charities. However, the schools are not of the caliber that medical families will relocate. The well-equipped and financed clinic has trouble attracting an eye surgeon. In this case, better funding does not equate with increased cataract surgery rates.
Seva Foundation, founded in 1978, is one of the foremost leaders in training for optimum eye surgical care. I joined the Seva Board and became the Program Committee Chair. Much of what I have strived to accomplish stems from my fertile time with the staff and volunteers of Seva Foundation.
