When eyes are the windows to our soul and also the only way to recognize the world, without this essential sense, any person is forced to live a life of misery. It has been shown that the majority of eye conditions that cause people to go blind in developing nations can be treated with early detection. Some of the major reasons that lead to neglecting the deterioration of the eyesight are low income, lack of knowledge, and poor healthcare services in the underserved regions.
Globally, about 2.2 billion people are blind or suffer from vision impairment. Out of these 1 billion people who can get their vision back with glasses or cataract surgery, what is the solution to restore their vision? According to angel investor Tej Kohli, early detection and free-of-cost cataract surgery are the only ways to treat unwanted blindness in underserved communities. Since Mr Tej Kohli is a man of his word, he and his partner, Dr Sanduk Ruit, have been conducting such free-of-cost eye surgeries in different parts of the world since 2019 with the Tej Kholi and Ruit Foundation (TKRF). The aim is to cure 500,000 people of unwanted blindness by screening 1,000,000 individuals across different parts of the world’s underserved regions.
Why Is TKRF Eye Camps Are Special?
Tej Kholi and Dr Sanduk Ruit’s mission to eradicate unwanted blindness is to create a sustainable world. For that, they have developed eye care camps, which are run in the remotest areas of the developing nations. But these camps perform a seven-step mission to ensure that their work not only reaches those in need but can also restore the eyesight of those who suffer from treatable conditions like cataracts.
Step 1: Preparation for organising the eye screen camp starts with a public announcement across the town or village about the eye camp, the area where it will be happening, and the date.
Step 2: The patients suffering from visual impairment arrive at the camp.
Step 3: A local medical and eye hospital team works with TKRF and prepares for the camp and the screening programme, carrying all the required medical and other tools and gadgets.
Step 4: On arrival at the camp, the medical team starts with patient registration, a visual acuity test is conducted, and then a comprehensive eye examination is done.
Step 5: Patients who suffer from cataracts are recommended for surgery at a partner hospital.
Step 6: TKRF takes the responsibility of transferring those patients to the partner eye hospital free of charge.
Step 7: In the hospital, the medical team performs the cataract removal surgery for free. The next day, the patch is removed from the operated eye, restoring their vision and thus curing their cataract-induced blindness.
How Is TKRF Moving Towards Its Goal?
Apart from establishing the TKRF to perform surgeries in different parts of the world, Mr Kohli has been funding the development of cutting-edge eye surgery solutions. His contributions include finding solutions for cost-effective and time-efficient cataract surgeries. Mr Kohli has also developed a portable eye surgery operation theatre so that it can perform surgeries even in hard-to-access regions. The result of finding cutting-edge solutions to cure cataract-induced blindness is that the foundation has cured 48,532 people after screening 320,000 since its inception.
