Free cataract surgeries are carried out in impoverished and rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. Ophthalmologists, optometrists and nurses from Spain volunteer to connect with medical and community service organistions in each country so they can reach people in slums and remote tribal communities.

Efforts began in 2011 in Kenya and since then, have also reached Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Zambia. As of today, they have performed more than 9,350 procedures and provided over 36,850 pairs of eyeglasses. 

The initiative is in collaboration with the Spanish NGO Visió Sense Fronteres. Eye conditions are more prevalent than other parts of the world due to diet, proximity to the equator with intense UV rays, poor sanitation due to drought, and lack of eye care doctors. Patients with cataracts range from babies to the elderly.

In the African Region overall, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that visual impairment is a significant health problem with 26.3 million people affected. It is estimated that 15.3% of the world’s blind population reside in Africa. However, with today’s knowledge and technology, up to 80% of blindness is preventable and treatable.