What Causes Cataract Symptoms?
Excessive dust
Sand storms caused by the Sahara people negatively affect Mali. Dust caused by sand storm harms people’s health. Constant dust exposure scratches the corneaProlonged exposure to sunlight
UV light can damage lens proteins in a distinct way (called glycation) that is typically seen in cataract and in cells damaged by oxidative stress.Malnutrition
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies accelerate vision loss caused by glaucoma, cataracts, and/or macular degeneration.Cataracts are most commonly found in people 80+ years old, but thousands of children in Africa suffer from the disease due to the extreme climate and lack of vitamins and protein in their diet. Approximately 2.2 million people suffer from cataracts in Africa, and 800,000+ suffer from the eye disease in Mali alone.
Donate Now!OUR APPROACH
HOW CAN I HELP?
How Much Does a Cataract Surgery Cost?
The cost of cataract surgery is $3,000 per eye in the US, but by donating $100 to Embrace Relief, you’re covering the cost of one full cataract surgery (including both eyes), as well as health checkups for ten other people. If the doctors come across an issue that cannot be treated at the Mobile Health Clinic, we provide transportation to the nearest clinic or hospital and help cover medical care costs.PATIENT STORIES
Mariam Togola / Female / 9
Kaditou Toure / Female / 39
Abdoulaye Traore / Male / 14
Embrace Relief’s Mobile Health Clinic
Our Mobile Health Clinic travels with volunteer doctors to remote places in Mali, where people have little to no access to healthcare. This mobile clinic gives certified doctors the capacity to perform up to 30 cataract surgeries and hundreds of health screenings in two days. When the Mobile Health Clinic travels, doctors perform health check-ups on the first day, cataract surgeries on the second, and check-ups after cataract surgery on the third to ensure the eye(s) is healing properly.
Give the Gift if Sight Today!EMBRACE RELIEF CATARACT AFRICA CAMPAIGN
A cataract, which can occur in either or both eyes, is the clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision.
Embrace Relief’s cataracts campaign is aimed to provide relief to thousands of people suffering from cataracts in Africa. You can give someone the gift of vision by joining the campaign and receive a certificate with the information and photo of the treated patient. You can even present a gift to your friends or family by making a donation in their name to our cataract Africa campaign. We will send them a certificate notifying them of the donation. An electronic copy of the certificate will be emailed in 5 days, and the original certificate will be posted within 2 weeks. Give the Gift of Sight Today!
Our Impact
Since 2013, our generous donors have sponsored 4,000 cataract surgeries.
Today, you can give the ultimate gift of sight to someone living in darkness. We currently have 4,000+ people on our Cataract Surgery Waiting List who live in extreme poverty and will not get another chance at seeing this beautiful world again without your generous donation.
Give the Gift if Sight Today!CATARACT PROGRAM FAQ
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “A cataract is when your eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy. Proteins in your lens break down and cause things to look blurry, hazy or less colorful.”
Symptoms of cataracts include:
- Having blurry vision
- Seeing double (when you see two images instead of one)
- Being extra sensitive to light
- Having trouble seeing well at night, or needing more light when you read
- Seeing bright colors as faded or yellow instead
According to the MayoClinic, “Cataract surgery is a procedure to remove the lens of your eye and, in most cases, replace it with an artificial lens. Normally, the lens of your eye is clear. A cataract causes the lens to become cloudy, which eventually affects your vision. Cataract surgery is performed by an eye doctor (opthamologist) on an outpatient basis, which means you don’t have to stay in the hospital after the surgery. Cataract surgery is very common and is generally a safe procedure.”
Cataract surgery successfully restores vision to the majority of people who get the surgery
Your donation provides an immediate cataract surgery for the next person on our waiting list and health screenings for 15 other people. You will receive a certificate of the person who got the cataract surgery, their name, and country approximately 15 days after donating.ore light when you read.
Seeing bright colors as faded or yellow instead
Sponsoring a cataract surgery through Embrace Relief is $100 USD. This covers the cost of the patient’s pre-health screening, the operation, and postoperative checkup. Health screenings for 15 other patients are included in this price.
This depends on many factors such as the size of the cataract, previous medical history, health of the eye(s), and type of anesthesia used. Most individuals experience better sight within 24 hours of the surgery and get progressively better within a week.
There are many factors that can lead to developing cataracts which include but are not limited to:
- Malnutrition
- Ultraviolet radiation (over-exposure to sunlight)
- Excessive dust
- Smoking
- Diabetes
According to Good Eyes, “The total process, from the time a patient enters the office to when he or she leaves, is about two and a half hours. The procedure itself typically takes less than 20 minutes.”
