SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwired - Apr 6, 2016) - Salt Lake City eye surgeons are kicking off April by participating in Operation Sight Charity Surgery Week, helping restore vision and quality of life to a number of Utahans in need. Operation Sight is a U.S.-based charitable program, organized by the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation, a group focused on providing sight-saving eye surgery to patients in need and eliminating preventable blindness caused by cataracts.
Surgeons at The Eye Institute of Utah will be performing 19 surgeries throughout the first week in April. Surgeries will be performed by Drs. Robert J. Cionni, Darcy H. Wolsey, Charles H. Weber, and Zachary J. Zavodni, and will include mostly cataract surgeries, with a few corneal surgeries. In addition to The Eye Institute of Utah, two other Utah practices will participate in Operation Sight, including the University of Utah's John A. Moran Eye Center and the St. George Eye Center.
Robert J. Cionni, MD, Medical Director of The Eye Institute of Utah and current President of the ASCRS Foundation said, "The majority of eye conditions that cause vision impairment and blindness are preventable or treatable. Unfortunately, many people are unable to have sight-restoring eye surgery due to cost. Operation Sight has created more opportunities for doctors throughout the country to obtain the necessary financial support and resources to offer free eye surgery to those who need it most. We are committed to an ongoing collaboration with Operation Sight and supporting organizations across the country to expand the program and work towards eliminating cataract blindness, one community at a time."
The ASCRS Foundation offers financial support and access to resources and personnel to help make charity surgery events a success. Many ophthalmic device and pharmaceutical companies donate surgical supplies to help offset the cost of charitable eye surgery, and countless doctors, surgical staff, technicians, and other support staff donate their time to make these surgeries possible. Patients who are selected to participate in Operation Sight charity surgery events receive surgery, pre- and post-op examinations, and eye drops free of charge.
The ultimate goal of the Operation Sight program is to eradicate preventable cataract blindness in the United States. Although cataract surgery is a very routine surgery in the U.S., many Americans in poverty do not have health insurance or cannot afford the cost of cataract surgery. If left untreated, cataracts can eventually lead to severe vision impairment or blindness, which can make functioning and working day-to-day extremely difficult or impossible. This loss of productivity creates an even greater burden to the person already struggling through poverty, and also creates a strain our economy. Charity Surgery Week helps restore vision and hope to people throughout our communities, allowing these people to return to work and better provide for their families.