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Inline with its £30m campaign to provide 1 million people with restored vision, Sightsavers have broadcast the first successful cataract operation globally which was performed on Winesi March. Mr March, a 69 year old from Malawi has expressed his joy at being able to see again for the first time in two years and promises to 'dance across the river by his home to work.'
The campaign A Million Miracles has been set up by Sightsavers, an international charity dedicated to curing and preventing blindness across the world where sight loss is preventable. With an estimated 39 million people living with blindness in the world, statistics show that as many as 31.2 million of these people are actually living with such conditions, which are actually avoidable. Sightsavers also look to support those who it can't treat and help them live their lives fully and as independently as possible.
Winesi March's operation to remove his cataract cost just £30 to perform, and as such the campaign will look to create another 999,999 miracles for people with similarly treatable conditions. To highlight the campaign and raise awareness of the fundraising exercise, Mr March's operation was screened around the world via the media platform of YouTube. Dr Gerald Msukwa, one of very few qualified ophthalmologists in the country, was tasked with the operation and viewers were able to witness the broadcast and subsequent removal of Winesi's bandages as he began his new lease of life with restored vision.