Frank C. Ingriselli - Founder of Brightening Lives Foundation Inc.
An example of our one of our recent donations was related to cataract surgery. A cataract is an opacity that forms on the lens of the eye. In most developed countries cataracts can be easily treated. Even so, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world.
In China, cataracts are the major cause for blindness and account for 50% of the blind population. Overall, China contains 20% of the world's blind population. The problem is that most of the people that are blinded by cataracts do not have enough money to pay for the surgery necessary to fix the problem. This is where the Helen Keller Foundation steps in. For the small amount of US$25, this Foundation is able to perform a cataract surgery on one patient and make him/her able to see. Sight is very important, especially to many Chinese people who live in rural areas where the Foundation's clinics are mainly found.
We visited the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center that works with Helen Keller International to help prevent and fix cataract blindness. The Ophthalmic Center receives over 500,000 outpatients and performs more than 30,000 surgeries annually. Together with Helen Keller International, the Center trains people to perform cataract surgeries. Once trained, they will then go to rural communities and treat people who have become blinded by cataracts. I, and my son, Frank Ingriselli, Jr, were deeply moved by the tour, which motivated us to support the charity.
