Noor Dubai eye care opens new horizons in Bangladesh

Abdur Rashid, a 70-year-old farmer from Rajshahi in eastern Bangladesh, had endured failing eyesight for four years because he was unable to afford a costly operation.
Now, thanks to free treatment through the Noor Dubai Foundation’s blindness prevention program, the struggling father-of-five can see perfectly again.
“I was suffering from partial blindness for four years. But after having the operation in the eye camp, I can see everything clearly,” Rashid told Arab News.
Deteriorating vision left the poor farmer struggling to complete the daily workload needed to feed his family.
Fatema Begum, 63, another resident of Rajshahi, 300 km northeast of Dhaka, was living on the brink of poverty and unable to save money for treatment that would restore her sight.
“My world was full of darkness for the past two years. The cataract operation has given me a new birth,” she said.
For many such as Rashid and Begum, Noor Dubai Foundation — an initiative launched to treat avoidable causes of blindness in developing countries — has been a savior.
About 6,000 patients in Rajshahi received free eye treatment at a seven-day camp early in May.
Al-Basar International Foundation organized the treatment for people in isolated areas of Bangladesh.
During the camp, Noor Dubai specialists performed 646 surgeries and distributed more than 1,900 pairs of glasses to patients.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Mimbori, Al-Basar International Foundation’s country manager, said that Noor Dubai sponsored all expenses for the camp.
“We have received $50,000 for running this free eye camp. In addition, Noor Dubai Foundation has also sent a doctor here to treat poor patients.”
Noor Dubai Foundation plans to extend its diagnostic and treatment services for Bangladeshi people.
About 800,000 people in the country suffer from visual impairment. Of these more than 40,000 are children under the age of 15. Most of the cases are curable with treatment.