Six Eye Camps staged in remote, rural areas of Nepal

In a partnership with Nepal Netra Jyoti Sang, IRIS funded six outreach eye camps in Nepal during the summer. The medical team provided eye examinations to 5,075 poor people and performed sight restoration surgery for 523 people. The 104 year old woman (pictured below) blind in both eyes due to cataracts, arrived at the camp held in Gorka District, after being carried in a basket (Nepalese ambulance) for two days on the back of her great grandson! After having sight restored to both eyes, they set-off again for the long journey home. The program was funded through a grant from the Betty White Foundation.

New IRIS partnership with the Lion’s Gift of Sight Hospital, Sri Lanka

In March, IRIS signed a partnership agreement with the Lion’s Gift of Sight Hospital in Panadura, Sri Lanka, to stage 6 eye screening, refraction and cataract surgery camps. By September all camps had been held and resulted in 3,052 poor people having eye examinations, 1,473 visually impaired people being prescribed glasses, free-of-charge, and 518 people having blindness prevention surgery to remove cataracts.

New Field Vehicles purchased for Cambodia & Sri Lanka programmes

With funds kindly provided by the Rotary Club of Friedrichshafen-Lindau and Frères de nos Frères, IRIS bought a new field vehicle for the eye camp programme in Cambodia (pictured left) and also traded-in the field vehicle used for eye screening camps in Sri Lanka for a smaller model.

New partnership with Foundation for Improvement of Sight & Health (FISH), Sri Lanka

IRIS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2011 with FISH to stage 5 eye screening, refraction and surgery camps between September and December 2011. The expectation is that 2,500 poor people will benefit from eye examinations, 1,500 visually impaired people will receive a pair of glasses free-of-charge and 250 people will have blindness prevention surgery to remove cataracts.

New IRIS Low Vision Clinic, Jaffna, Northern Sri Lanka

Dr. Palitha Mahipala, Director of Public Health, unvieling the plaque at the opening ceremony held on 14th June acknowledging IRIS funding of the new Low Vision Clinic.

New IRIS Low Vision Clinic, Jaffna, Northern Sri Lanka

Some of the equipment that will enable people with low vision to read printed material.

Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister, Mr. D.M. Jayarathna, presents glasses on behalf of IRIS to people attending an eye screening camp in Gampola, Central Province

Surgeries in Sri Lanka funded by grant from Republique et Canton de Geneve

The Republique et Canton de Geneve has agreed a grant to IRIS that will subsidize 4,680 cataract surgeries being performed for poor people in Sri Lanka over the next 3 years. Michele Claudel, IRIS Founder, said “I am delighted with the Republique’s grant which will enable all poor people IRIS finds in need of cataract surgery at our eye screening camps to have sight restoration surgery”.