Onkar Eye Hospital

Impact:

To date we have treated 15000 individuals for preventable blindness.

Our goal is to stamp out needless blindness in India. The gift of sight allows these people the opportunity to find work and make a living to continue to support themselves and their families.

Statistics:

Due to high prevalence of blindness in the rural population due to untreated cataracts. (Vashist et al. reported prevalence’s of 58% in North India and 53% in South India in the older age group (60 years) with nuclear cataract being the most common type of cataract in both parts of the country)

Eye Hospital:

In January 1995, the Onkar Eye Hospital in Jharkhand was officially opened.

Two ambulances were purchased for emergencies and to transporting patients who are too infirm to travel.

Prior to setting up the hospital, we conducted regular eye camps. These were not ideal and a more permanent solution was required.

The Eye Hospital gave adjoining villages a local facility, thereby saving them the journey into Rachi (40km) away.

The Onkar Eye Hospital now routinely treats a wide range of eye conditions that include Cataracts, eye infections, Corneal Grafts, Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy.

The hospital aims to do on average 55 cataract operations each week during November through to march, during the cooler months of the year.

All patients and their accompanying support are provided free board and stay overnight. The rationale for the overnight stay requirement, is to ensure the reduction of risk of infection. As well as giving our staff an opportunity to educate the patients on proper eye hygiene and aftercare.

Once the procedure has been carried out the patients have full after care for one year. The patients are discharged from the hospital with appropriate eye protection, medication, warm clothes and follow up appointments.