Bangladesh: Dubai foundation treats 10,000 eye patients in 15 days

The Noor Dubai Foundation restored sight to nearly 10,000 people in 15 days in Bangladesh, the Arabic daily Al Khaleej newspaper reported yesterday.

The foundation operated mobile medical camps to treat the patients in the states of Bajura and Joypurhat. The teams conducted medical examinations and provided them with medication, eyeglasses and carried out 1000 surgeries including cataract surgeries and other eye ailments, the newspaper reported.

Bangladesh is one of the foundation’s main destinations for treatment, according to the report. “Despite the fact that it achieved remarkable progress in reducing the incidence of blindness by 35 per cent during the last 10 years, health surveys have shown that 19 per cent of adults in the country are visually impaired after the age of forty,” the paper said adding that the main culprit for visual impairment amongst the elderly is cataract and that it accounts for nearly 81 per cent of all blindness-causing diseases.

• Bringing hope to patients with a life-changing diagnosis