Salzburg eye team treats blind cataract patients in Namibia

An eye surgeon and operating-room nurse from Salzburg spend part of their annual leave operating on people blinded by cataracts in Namibia, ORF reports. The pair spent almost two weeks there this year as part of the Austrian initiative “Sehen ohne Grenzen” (“Seeing Without Borders”), which has been running for more than 25 years.

At the initiative’s eye camps, medical teams work from early morning until late at night. They carry out about 700 procedures in 10 days. The Salzburg team worked in the capital, Windhoek, and three rural locations alongside colleagues from Austria and Namibia. Each operation takes about 15 minutes.

Herbert Reitsamer, head of the eye clinic at Salzburg State Hospitals, said cataracts in Namibia are often more advanced than in Europe. Many patients are blind, and dense, hardened cataracts make surgery particularly challenging.

Lead operating-room nurse Josef Zollner said close coordination with local colleagues helps the teams. For many patients, surgery means being able to see their children properly for the first time. Patients often travel distances of up to 800 kilometres and can be discharged on the day of their operation.

Zollner said patients celebrate by singing and dancing when they regain their sight. The Salzburg eye surgeon and nurse plan to return to Namibia next year.