Cataract operations improve eyesight for hundreds in Indonesia

Cataracts are a major cause of blindness in parts of Indonesia, where access to health-care remains precarious. Since 2006, the ICRC and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) have worked closely together conducting free eye examinations and, when necessary, providing specialized treatment including surgery.

To date, the ICRC and the PMI have conducted 989 cataract operations and distributed 1633 reading glasses mainly in the Provinces of Papua. For the first time this year, we went to Maluku.