Perhaps the old adage, if it's out of sight, then it's out of mind is not always so true -- at least not for the group of volunteers from Canadian Eyesight Global, who spent their Sunday administering a free eye camp at a local elementary school.  For this group of dedicated individuals, the term 'out of sight' means very much a problem that deserves the upmost attention.

“A typical eye exam can cost up to $75,” said Anup Singh Jubbal, director of Canadian Eyesight Global, “but we wanted to offer the public this good service for free.”

The fourteenth free eye camp sponsored by the non profit group Canadian Eyesight Global   While their primary focus is to treat avoidable blindness in rural India, Jubbal says it's important to extend their services to those in the Lower Mainland, if only partially.

Dr.David Neima and Dr. HarpreetHarpreet Gill, along with several other doctors from the Lower Mainland conducted basic eye examinations on children and adults at the Guru Nanak Elementary School on Marine Drive.

“Everything went very well indeed,” said Jubbal. “About 130 people turned up and thankfully it was a beautiful day.”

Canadian Eyesight Global, formerly Project Eyesight India, has completed over 46,000 free cataract operations in India since 1989.

In India, there are over 18 million people with cataracts,” said Jubbal. “The poor people can't afford to get help.”

Cataracts remain prevalent throughout India and deserve continued attention, according to a surgeon speaking at the All India Ophthalmological Society conference last month in Bangalore.

"Three out of every four individuals [aged older than 60 years] in this country do have a cataract," Dr. G.V.S. Murthy said. "That is the challenge. We know cataracts exist. We know cataract surgery rates are increasing in this country. We also know that significant proportions are still untreated." 

In a renewed effort to target avoidable blindness, Canadian Eyesight Global is establishing a state of the art eye hospital in the village Chabba, on Taran Taran Road.

Jabbal signed a lease for a period of 99 years on an approximately 24,000 sq. ft. building, with two floors and 62,000 sq. ft. of land. The new hospital will include an Operation Theatre Block as well as administrative offices.

A mobile medical van has also been donated by the Rotary Club of Surrey-Guildford, which shall be used to check school children and help for avoidable blindness to the needy, helpless and less fortunate people in rural areas of Punjab.