Health

Eye Camps

The Nasreen and Alam Sher Foundation has provided free medical services, performing over 1,000 cataract removal surgeries in Pakistan in 2010-2011. The foundation provided five eye camps, by the Medical Director of the NASF, Dr. Sultan Ali and his medical staff performed cataract removal surgeries. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye or its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light Cataracts are problems for many people in rural villages, like many of the places the NASF held these eye camps. Poor hygiene and living circumstances contribute to the condition. Many of the patients walked long distances, some up to eight hours, just to receive the care they so desperately needed. The first Eye Camp was set up in Sachal Goth, Sindh, Pakistan. In the first Eye Camp, there were 137 patients who showed up, most of them children, in need of care. The NASF held four more Eye Camps December 2010 through January 2011. During these Eye Camps they also did check-ups and treated other illnesses.

The NASF has held 10 eye camps since its’ inception and has performed 40,000 cataract surgeries in total.

First Corneal Graft (Keratoplasty) Recipient

The first corneal graft recipient was a girl named Sakinah that was twelve years old. The girl was born completely blind, but her and her family walked many miles to see if the eye camps the NASF hosted in Pakistan could help her. Unfortunately, the NASF did not that the resources available to help her see. When Dr. Sher and members of the NASF returned to the United States, he showed a picture of the girl to a co-worker, Susanne Hawkins, who immediately volunteered to pay for the procedure. It took some time to find the girl again but when the NASF did, they told her of the news. She had the surgery April 26, 2011 and she can now see. Her story was written in the Kennebec Journal.