A member of the medical team cleans a woman’s eye in preparation for the surgery. Photo provided by It Is Written
In February 2021, Eyes for India held its annual eye camp in Barabanki district, India. At this year's camp, the It Is Written project was able to restore sight to thousands of people. Jacob Prabhakar, ophthalmologist, thanks God for a successful camp, despite the continued pandemic. Eyes for India restores sight to the blind through cataract surgeries.
From Feb. 1 to 11, Prabhakar and his medical team successfully completed 2,672 cataract and 29 pterygium removal surgeries (a pterygium is a small growth in the corner of the eye). “I praise God for making such an impact possible in a Hindu temple,” said Prabhakar. “The need this year is greater than ever before. Since there were no surgery services in this area all through the pandemic year, the backlog is huge. The people are poor and desperate for help.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only patients that tested negative for the virus received the operation. Each patient was provided with a mask, and the medical team wore full personal protective equipment.
Dr. Jacob Prabahkar (center) performs a cataract surgery. Photo provided by It Is Written
[Click here to read more about the Eyes for India COVID-19 response last year.]
Prabhakar explained that most people operated on had bilateral hyper mature cataracts and that it was imperative that they were operated on this year. “If we did not operate on these patients,” he said, “the cataract may become complicated and cause permanent, painful blindness.”
After completing their surgeries, patients received instructions on how to care for their eyes at home and Christian materials translated into their languages.
[Click here to learn more about the eye camp process.]
Each patient was grateful to have the gift of sight again, said Prabhakar. He writes: "These thousands of blind who now see are ever grateful to It Is Written for restoring their sight which enables them to carry on with their improved quality of life, lead normal lives, and earn a livelihood. This would not have been possible without It Is Written, and we are grateful to you for this amazing ministry and your generosity."
It Is Written echoes Prabhakar's appreciation, thanking its supporters for helping to make this life-changing impact possible.
— Cassie Matchim Hernandez is marketing assistant for It Is Written.
The eye camp staff in front of their bus, made possible by It Is Written donations. Photo provided by It Is Written