Cataract Camps

After the presence of cataracts has been identified by a health worker, villagers are sent to a camp that is set up on a regular basis in a nearby meeting place, often a council meeting hall. Qualified opticians will assess patients and refer those with treatable cataracts to the hospital, often to have them removed that day. Hundreds of people walked for miles to visit the camp that we joined. We arrived at lunchtime and ninety patients had already been sent to the hospital for operations. Other common ailments such as blockages of the tear duct can be identified at the camp. Blockages often occur due to the dusty conditions working on the land.