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Eye examinations being conducted at the Mobile Cataract Camp. @ Sightsavers

Eye examinations being conducted at the Mobile Cataract Camp. @ Sightsavers

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Mobile cataract camps

Following our very successful mobile cataract camp held in Liberia last year, another mini camp has just taken place. A total of 39 people were operated on in Grand Kru County, in the South East region in January.

Because of the lack of resources, last year's camp relied on collaboration between our partners in Sierra Leone with our team in Liberia, in order to carry out 225 cataract operations treating patients from three counties. Before this intervention, the only eye care available was by way of the traditional healer.

A stark picture

Avoidable blindness is a major problem in Liberia. There are currently 122 doctors serving the whole country, which equates to one doctor for every 28,000 Liberians. Most qualified medical professionals fled Liberia during the bloody civil war, and are still leaving a country that is struggling to recover from the resulting economic ruin and remaining corruption. People in rural areas like the South East therefore cannot get proper medication due to lack of trained manpower.

Among those operated on in January was 90-year-old grandmother Juah Weah, who had been blind for over thirty years. "I got to know about the activities of the eye camp from a friend of mine and was taken to the camp by the medial team," she said.

Dancing with happiness!

72-year-old Jlopleh Barney also found out about the mini camp through people from her home town of Barclayville, who were treated last year. She lost her sight 14 years ago, and said she was overwhelmed with joy following the operation. When she was reunited with her family members, she danced with happiness!