Cataract Success in India
by Therese Boehl

Udayagiri Lions Eye Hospital, located in the Latur district of Maharashtra, India, once faced some very grave challenges to preserve sight. The hospital serves a  remote, developing region; 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Home to 1.1 million people, the region had a blindness prevalence of 1.5 percent in 2005 and a cataract backlog of approximately 9,000.

The Lions of Udgir, who run the Udayagiri Eye Hospital, have been saving sight for the past 16 years. Thanks to their cataract-screening camps, nearly 2,000 surgeries were done. Bur considering the estimated annual workload of 11,850 new and existing cases and the limited number of annual operations performed by the government, private and NGO facilities, the Lions of Udgir realized they needed to take more drastic measures. That’s when they turned to the SightFirst program, requesting a grant to update and equip the hospital.

True to its reputation, SightFirst responded. Launched by Lions in 1989 to battle preventable blindness, SightFirst and the Lions who support it have made a world of difference in the lives of millions of people globally. In fact, the 7 millionth cataract surgery funded by the SightFirst program was recently performed at the Lions NAB Eye Hospital, also in Maharashtra state. Additionally, 20 million people have been treated to prevent serious vision loss through SightFirst.

The Lions of Udgir requested a grant to upgrade the equipment in their facility. Their goal was to complete at least 2,000 cataract surgeries in 2005-2006. After an initial grant was given for manpower and management training, aimed at making the hospital more efficient, the Lions Club of Udgir was awarded an $83,252 grant. Up to this point, the hospital had only the bare necessities.

The funding also helped purchase an operating microscope, a slit lamp (to detect eye diseases), an A-scan (to measure eye length for cataract surgery), furniture and an electrical generator. Even more crucially, a 31-person mobile vehicle was purchased to better allow the hospital and six other Lions clubs to hold weekly outreach eye screening camps.

Since the improvements to the hospital were completed, Lions far surpassed their goals. Within the first seven months of opening, the Udayagiri Lions Eye Hospital performed 2,279 cataract surgeries, much higher than their original goal of 2,000 surgeries within an entire year. The new equipment was put to good use, and the hospital has now begun to address the area’s cataract backlog. Thanks to the Lions of Udgir, SightFirst and all the Lions who support it, people in Udgir and elsewhere have had their sight saved and their quality of life preserved.