Saving Sight in Pakistan

This year, Saving Sight began working with Dr. Zafar who is a member of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA). Dr. Zafar lives in Iowa and coordinates the acquisition of transplant tissue for Pakistan.

After talking with him further, our Saving Sight team learned that before receiving tissue from external places, only about 10 corneas a year were donated in Pakistan. In April 2017 the APPNA started acquiring tissues from several eye banks in the United States and were able to provide 425 tissues to Pakistan. The physicians that are a part of the APPNA provide all the funding for these surgeries and post-operative care. Many of their patients are underserved and are unable to pay for their healthcare needs. APPNA was able to send Saving Sight photos from three recipients who were so grateful to receive corneal tissue to better their vision and improve their lives.

In 2018 Saving Sight distributed 289 corneal tissues to Pakistan.

APPNA Pakistan Recipients L-R: (Left): 17 year old boy who was blind and could not attend school prior to his transplant. His father did not have the funds to afford surgery.

(Center): A young female student who was blind and unable to study prior to her transplant.

(Right): A 17 year old who was blind since age 1. Their family didn’t have money for the surgery and traveled 350 miles in order to receive a cornea transplant.