Vodacom Foundation

Thirty seven senior citizens from disadvantaged communities today received the gift of sight - just in time to witness the world's biggest sports tournament taking place in South Africa!

They were patients of the Pretoria Eye Institute, whose ophthalmologists performed cataract operations on them free of charge, thanks to funding from the Vodacom Foundation and in-kind support from several other partners.

Helping them celebrate their new-found vision was former Bafana Bafana legend, Phil Masinga, who surprised patients after the short procedure with gift packs of a Bafana Bafana supporters' t-shirt, a vuvuzela and a Vodacom Starter Pack. 

Since 2002, the Sight 4 U project established by the Pretoria Eye Institute and sponsored by the Vodacom Foundation has successfully completed more than 1600 cataract operations.  These operations focus on cataract patients who otherwise would not have had the means to pay for the procedures.

These cataract operations are part of a series that is scheduled over four Saturdays from May to August 2010. A Vodacom Foundation contribution of R500 000, as part of its 10^th anniversary celebration, to the Pretoria Eye Institute made the operations possible. In total, 82 patients will be operated on during this period.

Mthobi Tyamzashe, Chairman of the Vodacom Foundation, said: "The Vodacom Foundation could not have chosen a better way to celebrate their 10^th birthday, than to help the patients regain their eyesight at such a momentous time in the country's life."

In the developing world, cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness. There are many obstacles to the successful treatment of cataracts in South Africa. These include lack of information, access to good facilities and surgeons, long waiting lists and transport to the facilities.

Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens, which stays in the eye permanently.  The symptoms of cataracts include: cloudy or blurry vision, the loss of contrast sensitivity, faded colours, glare and poor night vision

The latest donation brings Vodacom Foundation's support of the Pretoria Eye Institute programme to a total of R5-million since 2006.

The project is part of a broader initiative of the Vodacom Foundation which includes partnerships with Netcare and the South African National Council for the Blind in performing cataract operations on patients from disadvantaged communities. To date, the partnerships have enabled some 5 000 people to have their sight restored through such operations.

Other Vodacom Foundation programmes include an eye care clinic that operates in remote areas of KwaZulu/Natal, as well as several mobile health clinics in the Eastern Cape. Recently, the Foundation handed over three mobile blood collection clinics to the South African National Blood Service, bringing to six the number of such clinics that will service remote areas in as many provinces.