Unite For Sight Provides 1915 Surgeries in Ghana in Fall and Winter

From September 2007 through January 2008, Unite For Sight coordinated and sponsored sight-restoring surgery for more than 1,915 patients in Ghana, while providing other eye care services to thousands more.

"The question I have always asked myself is 'what would have happened to all these people who have benefited from Unite For Sight programs had the organization not come to their aid?' It is likely that many would have perished in their agony," Dr. James Clarke of Crystal Eye Clinic, Ghana, wrote in an article published in the UK-journal Eye News.

In response to this overwhelming need, Unite For Sight works with partner eye clinics to provide eye care for patients living in extreme poverty.  Unite For Sight's partner eye clinics include Crystal Eye Clinic (Accra, Ghana), Our Lady of Grace Hospital (Asikuma Breman, Ghana), Eye Clinic of Tamale Teaching Hospital (Tamale, Ghana), and Tema Christian Eye Center (Tema, Ghana).

Brian Fowler, a medical student at University of Virginia and Unite For Sight volunteer in Ghana, wrote: "While in Ghana, I worked with an ophthalmologist (Dr. James Clarke), two eye nurses (Robert Dolo, Kartee Karloweah), an assistant (Bismark Boryor), and a coordinator (Seth). Working with the Unite for Sight team on these outreaches in service to these wonderful people of Ghana was the single most rewarding work I've done in my life. The people of Ghana are some of the friendliest and most thankful of anyone I have ever met. Overall, the experience has changed the way I view the world, my own country, and my role in the world forever. The only way to understand the way 4/5 of the world lives is to go yourself and get involved. The staff I worked with that are the heart and soul of Unite for Sight in Accra were some of the brightest and hard working individuals I have ever met. They are accomplishing feats few ever accomplish in their lives, and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them and now call them my friends. I look forward to future work with Unite for Sight as an Ophthalmologist. The task at hand in Ghana, and I'm sure in all of Unite for Sight's locations throughout the world, is enormous. The more people that get involved, the more accessible services will be to these wonderful people. Plain and simple, the more we help, the more people can see the world they live in!"

About Unite For Sight

Unite For Sight® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. Unite For Sight's unwavering commitment to creating a real, lasting impact involves three types of programs: chapters in North America, international eye care outreach programs, and an annual global health conference. Unite For Sight has trained more than 4,000 volunteers who work in their local communities and abroad to provide eye health programs for those without previous access and has provided eye care services to more than 600,000 people worldwide.

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