Global Vision Aid Launch

AMWT launches ‘Global Vision Aid’ for blindness

October 30, 2013

LAHORE (PR) - Al Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMWT), a worldwide charity organisation based in UK, has launched ‘Global Vision Aid’ (GVA) project for blindness. During this campaign AMWT would arrange free eye screening facilities and operate cataract surgeries through eye camps, eye clinics and medical centers. This campaign has launched from Pakistan and later it would be introduced in Asia, Africa and Middle East countries.

Chairman Al Mustafa Abdul Razzaq Sajid said in a statement that Trust would operate 10,000 cataract surgeries and screening 100,000 eye patients in next year. He said under Global Vision Aid free eye camps are being organized in backward and far-flung areas of Pakistan.

He further said that recently Trust has organised free eye camps in Kallar Syedan district Rawalpindi, Khanewal, Jhelum, Lahore, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Shorkot and different parts of Kashmir. A ten-day free eye camp would continue from October 25 to November 3 at Basic Health Centre Chak 14 of district Chiniot where more than 400 cataract surgeries would be conducted. This eye camp campaign would continue from October to December 2013.

Sajid said that according to a world estimate visually impaired people were 285 million, of whom 39 million are blinds. The major reasons of blindness are damage of retina caused by complications of diabetes, age-related muscular degeneration (AMD), a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in loss of vision. Corneal opacities, a serious vision problem and cataract, clouding of lens inside the eye, are most common causes of blindness, conventionally treated by surgery. Glaucoma was another serious threat in which the optic nerve was damaged in a characteristics pattern. It was also called silent thief of sight because loss of vision often occurs gradually over a long period of time. Once a lost vision could not normally be recovered, he added. So treatment was aimed at preventing further loss. Trachoma, he said, also called granular conjunctivitis leading cause of infectious blindness in the world, he concluded. 

Free Eye Camp Updates From Lahore, Pakistan

Lahore is the most historic and populous city of Pakistan. There are 945000 blind people in Punjab which is the the most populous province of the country. AMWT has started series of free eye camps for the different areas of Punjab where 1000 blind people will receive free cataract surgeries.This year, in total we are targeting 5000 blind people whereas 1000 blind people will be targeted from each province including Kashmir. The three days Free Eye Camp in Lahore on 10^th, 11^th and 12^th of February 2012 was of great success. It took place on three different areas; Ghaziabad, Salamatpura and Baghbanpura respectively to target as many blind people as possible. The patients were targeted from the deprived areas of Lahore.

The camps were very busy and elderly people were provided with free transport services as well. There

Medical teams, 5 doctors and 10 paramedical staff, visited camps where they screened out the cataract patients. After completing the eye screening, all cataract patients were transported at Al Mustafa Medical Centre Lahore, where operation theatre was set up to carryout the surgeries. 100 surgeries has been carried out successfully and 2000 people received free eye treatment. All kind of medical facilities including eye check up, medicines, glasses, cataract surgeries and post surgery treatment were provided free of cost. Also, free meal and transport facilities were provided to the elderly patients.

AMWT is thankful to all of its donors for their kind contribution for this good cause and hoping for their support in future for eye camps in other cities.

Project Manager : Tajjamul Gurmani