Your contribution and support is helping thousands of families affected by the Beirut explosion

The life-limiting disease is the leading cause of blindness around the world, taking the eyesight of some 20 million people. But cataracts, which are caused when a protein slowly builds up and clouds the eye’s lens, leading to blurred vision and eventually blindness is actually easily treatable. After a 10 minutes’ surgery, the vast majority of patients will regain their sight. However, barriers to treatment are significant. In many corners of the globe, the $150 surgery represents a small fortune – if it is offered at all in local hospitals.

What We Are Doing to Help

United Hands Relief organizes Cataract Eye Surgeries Missions in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. With the support of our donors, UHR covers the cost of these surgeries fully for 250 plus patients at a time. These missions are carried out multiple times a year.

After surgeries are performed, crowds of patients wait in the open air with bandages over their eyes. Normally patients have been patiently blind for months, or even years due to cataracts. Each of these patients had undergone a ten-minute surgery the day before to remove cataracts and insert artificial lenses.

As the bandages come off, some patients cry, other dance in joy. Some hug the doctors, and others sit back in their seats in disbelief as they see the faces of their loved ones again.

Often in developed countries like the USA, cataracts are usually removed before causing any serious damage to the eye or causing visual impairment. However, in developing nations, people often lose their sight, including children.

Today, with advanced modern surgeries, removing cataracts could be done quickly at any medical facility, not necessarily hospitals at a low cost. With the new techniques today, most patients go to have the perfect vision the next day.
Our Goal. The project’s goal is to wipe out preventable blindness through developing countries in East Africa- countries already struggling with drought, famine, poverty, violence, and conflict.

The cost of one surgery is $150.

Give them the gift of sight. Donate Now.