Over 1,000 sight restoring surgeries provided in the Philippines
This week, a collaboration between SEE International, HCP Cureblindness and local partners in the Philippines brought eye care and sight-restoring surgeries to the people of Bohol, Philippines.
HCP Co-founder Dr. Geoff Tabin worked alongside SEE’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeff Levenson and host ophthalmologist Dr. Frederico Malubay to restore sight to more than 1,000 people suffering from cataract blindness in just six days.
Bohol is a province located in the Philippines’ Central Visayas region which comprises Bohol Island and numerous smaller surrounding islands. Dr. Tabin, Dr. Levenson, Dr. Malubay, and a volunteer Filipino medical team gathered for a week on an island in desperate need of eye care. Together, the team transformed an empty 30-foot by 30-foot room into an operating theater with 12 operating tables; several of the tables were designated for training Filipino practitioners. Six surgeons restored sight to one blind person every three minutes, 12 hours a day, for six days.
Every morning the team was met by hundreds of patients who had had surgery the day before, waiting for their bandages to be removed. As the doctors performed post-surgery exams, the gratitude of the patients, with their sight and lives restored, was palpable. This joy is made possible by supporters like you.
We are thrilled to be working in collaboration with SEE International and our Filipino partners. Working together helps all of us extend our reach to even more people with little access to essential eye care. SEE International and HCP are planning future collaborations to continue the fight against preventable cataract blindness.
Here is a message to you from Drs. Tabin, Levenson and Malubay:
