We have arrived at Samanala Valley Hospital, a small rural charity hospital close to the centre of Sri Lanka. We have been invited to help with cataract surgery for patients who can find it difficult to access surgery.

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the amount of vision that these patients have lost due to cataracts is astounding. Many of the patients we have seen in Sri Lanka are functionally blind, unable to feed or care for themselves without help from family.

I have perfomed hundreds of cataract operations and it is easy to think of cataract surgery as routine, but in these cases, cataract surgery is life changing, bringing not just quality of life, but independance and purpose. It has been a real insight into how catract surgery can transform lives.

It is a real privelege to be able to help bring back thee people’s independance and bring them back to their familes and communities.