Watch a cataract operation, see a life change

A few years ago, during a trip to Bangladesh, we filmed a time-lapse video of a Sightsavers cataract operation taking place at Khulna BNSB hospital in the south-west of the country.

A standard adult operation takes 10 to 20 minutes – our film condenses this down into one and a half minutes to provide a glimpse of what’s involved.

This footage was filmed before COVID-19, on adult cataract patients, not children, but we love how it demonstrates how quickly this simple operation can transform someone’s life.

Notice that two adult patients are present in the operating theatre at the same time: one is prepared for surgery by nurses while the other is being operated on. This enabled the surgeon to start a new operation as soon as the first is finished, maximising the number of patients treated each day.

During the operation, the clouded lens is replaced by an artificial one and the patient’s sight can return just a few hours after surgery.

However, if left untreated, cataracts can cause irreversible blindness. This can be avoided through getting this straightforward surgery.

Please, will you help more people receive life-changing cataract operation?