Dr. Geoff Tabin talks about global blindness and what sparked his passion to restore sight to the world's needlessly blind in USA Today's Vision and Hearing insert by Mediaplanet.

"In the developing world, blindness can be a death sentence," says Dr. Tabin. "We can change this."

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Curing Cataracts: Restoring Eyesight and Improving Lives

As a world-class mountaineer and the fourth person to ever climb the Seven Summits, the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents, Dr. Geoff Tabin has made a life of reaching new heights.

Even so, he’s most proud of his humanitarian efforts. An ophthalmic surgeon and co-founder — along with world-renowned eye surgeon Dr. Sanduk Ruit — of the Himalayan Cataract Project Dr. Tabin has a significant role in curing blindness across the globe.

Over 39 million people worldwide have unnecessary blindness, half due to cataract, blurriness, which can be treated surgically. Most of these people live in the developing world and have poor nutrition and limited eye care. The World Health Organization (WHO) says sight restoration with cataract surgery is one of the most cost-effective health care interventions.

Life-changing moment

Dr. Tabin’s passion for eye care started during his time practicing general medicine in Nepal, where he saw cataract surgery on a woman who could barely distinguish light from dark. After the surgery, the woman saw her grandchildren for the first time.

“That moment changed my life,” says Dr. Tabin. “As I looked at the tears of joy running down her face, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to restore sight.”

Read the article in its entirety.