Over 1,000 to get free eye surgery

PIC: The Manager Human Kingdom Rice Resource Barbra (second-left) and the Director Strategy and Business Development Kingdom Rice Elizabeth Kasenene (Third Left) hand over a dummy cheque worth $40,000 to the Lions Club President William Wilberforce Asiimwe (Second Right at hotel Africana in Kampala on Tuesday. (Shamim Saad)

A total of 1,000 Ugandans blinded by cataracts will be undergoing free eye surgery scheduled for next month.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and pupil. Patients suffering from cataracts can regain their vision only if they undergo a minor surgery.

The surgeries will take place at different locations and have been organised by the Lions Club of Kampala Central in partnership with FOL Logistics.

This year, the club has organised three eye medical camps.

The first one will take place at Kololo Airstrip next month on 22^nd and will start with the 5^th Lions annual marathon organized under the theme "Run for Sight'.

The second one will be held in Mparo, Kabale district from October 25-27, and the third medical camp will take place in Nwoya district from November 24-26^.

Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) held at Hotel Africana on Tuesday, the Club President, William Wilberforce Asiimwe said over 500,000 people in Uganda are blind because of cataracts.

"The good news is that cataracts can be treated surgically and the individual regains sight to live independently again. From the three eye medical camps we have organized, we plan to screen 3000 people and provide surgery to 1000 of those that will be found with cataracts," he said  

In the MOU they (FOL Logistics and the Club) signed, FOL Logistics will be providing U$40,000(sh143m) every year for three years to the club to help them conduct the eye surgeries.

Elizabeth Kasenene, Director Strategy, FOL Logistics applauded the club for what it is doing to give back some Ugandans their eye sights back, adding that Logistics is committed to working more with them and ensure they reach more Ugandans.

According to the 2009 report by the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), the number of blind people in Uganda shot up to one million from 700,000 people in 2008.

The report indicates that the condition (cataracts) accounts for 40% of the blindness and is common among the elderly but children and other age groups can also succumb to the condition.