Magnitude of Blindness in Kishoreganj

Cataracts are the cause of 80% of blindness in the country, a fate of which rural poor are predisposed following a lifetime of exposure to harmful UV rays and wood- smoke. At present there are some 650,000-cataract patients in Bangladesh, and an estimated 150,000 men and women develop new cataracts each year. Simple surgery can restore sights in 90-95% of case, yet 70 to 80,000 patients per year receive surgery. In Kishoreganj alone, recent government statistics reveals 67,736 cataract patients, and an annual accrual of 24,751. Yet prior to KEH’s inauguration in May, only 1500 patients per year in this impoverished region received surgery.