Cataract, which is the clouding of the lens of the eye can occur due to various reasons. Cataract, that mainly appears among the elderly in Turkey and can cause blindness if left untreated, is seen to be suffered by many people around the world due to reasons including old age, malnutrition, long periods of exposure to strong light and eye traumas. Millions of people lose their sight and live dependent on others, particularly in Africa and Asian countries, because they are unable to have surgery due to the lack of financial and technical resources.
Our total number of surgeries has reached 157.000
In 2021, IHH’s Cataract project has enabled 17.200 people to regain their sight with surgery. These surgeries were performed in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Syria, Mali, Niger and Ethiopia. With this project, local doctors and healthcare workers also had the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and experiences of doctors that travelled to these countries from Turkey. The total number of IHH’s cataract surgeries between 2007 and 2021 has reached 157.000, while the total eye examinations in the same period has reached 797.323.
Our 2022 goal is 20.000
IHH’s goal for 2022 is to perform 20.000 cataract surgeries.
To give support
Donors that want to support IHH’s cataract operations in Asia and Africa can donate 5 TL to the project by sending an SMS texting CATARACT via all the operators to 3072. Donors that wish to donate larger amounts can support the cataract project online via IHH’s website or bank account numbers stating the code CATARACT. Donors that wish to donate the entire surgery cost can give these people the chance to regain their sight by donating 850 TL.