Bashundhara Eye Hospital provides free eye treatment to over 400 patients in Cumilla

More than 400 underprivileged people received free eye treatment at a medical camp organised by Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute in collaboration with the Vision Care Foundation in Cumilla's Burichang upazila on Friday.

The camp was held at Noor-e-Mohammadiya Madrasa in Shikarpur village as part of an initiative to deliver quality eye care services to underserved communities.

A total of 36 patients were selected for free surgeries after screening. They will receive cataract and other eye operations, along with all necessary examinations, medicines, accommodation, meals and transport, free of charge at Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute in Dhaka.

The medical camp was conducted by a seven-member team comprising specialist ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses and trained healthcare workers from the hospital, with volunteers from the madrasa assisting in the programme.

Dr Ahnaf Shahriar, an ophthalmologist at Bashundhara Eye Hospital and head of the medical team, said the selected patients had been diagnosed with cataracts, pterygium, tear duct disorders and other complex eye conditions requiring surgery.

Among the beneficiaries was 80-year-old Hazera Akter from Dattapur village, who said she had been suffering from eye pain and had lost vision in her left eye. She thanked the doctors for providing treatment and medicines free of charge.

Another patient, Anu Mia from Bharella village, said he had been experiencing eye pain and excessive tearing since suffering a stroke five years ago. He received a medical consultation, medicines and a pair of spectacles at the camp.

Abdur Rahim of Shikarpur village, who was diagnosed with cataracts, said he had been informed that he would be taken to Dhaka for surgery at no cost.

The organisers said the free eye care programme has been running for years under the guidance of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and the supervision of the Vision Care Foundation, providing quality treatment to poor and disadvantaged people in remote parts of the country. The initiative has helped thousands regain their eyesight by making specialist eye care more accessible.