The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) has announced its remarkable accomplishment of conducting 7,427 cataract surgeries across five different countries in 2023, emphasizing the significant impact on vision restoration for individuals suffering from this condition.
Cataract disease, a common cause of vision impairment worldwide, affects millions of people, leading to partial or complete vision loss. Despite typically being associated with old age, this ailment can also manifest at a younger age due to regional or genetic influences. In many parts of the world, financial constraints and insufficient resources prevent numerous patients from accessing adequate treatment.
Since initiating its cataract studies in 2007, IHH has continuously expanded its efforts. Through the Cataract Surgeries Project in 2023, the foundation successfully performed 7,427 surgeries in Pakistan, Syria, India, Nigeria and Mali, offering renewed sight to cataract patients. Alongside surgeries, IHH conducted comprehensive screenings, examining 35,135 individuals and performing 66,100 field scans to enable early detection of eye diseases as part of preventive measures.
"Through our endeavors in 2023, we've achieved a cumulative total of 197,260 surgeries across 20 countries since the inception of IHH's cataract studies. Additionally, we've conducted 705,152 examinations and 1,102,719 field scans," a spokesperson from IHH stated.
In 2023, Pakistan saw the highest number of surgeries performed by IHH, totaling 3,959 individuals. The surgeries conducted in other countries were Syria 1,552, Mali 870, India 546 and Nigeria 500.
The foundation invites donations from individuals keen on supporting IHH's cataract works under the motto "One Eye Sees a World." Donors can contribute TL 30 to the project by sending an SMS with the word CATARACT to 3072 from any mobile operator. For larger donations, individuals can contribute via IHH's website or transfer funds to designated bank accounts by specifying CATARACT in the description section.
