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Speaker Meeting Global Sight Solutions

Wed, Mar 4th 2026 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

OUr Speaker this week is Martin Wyatt from the RC of Ashford Talking about "Global Sight Solutions"


Rotary Club of Senlac St Leonards
Global Sight Solutions

The club’s guest speaker on 4 March 2026 was Martin Wyatt from the Rotary Club of Ashford, Kent. Martin spoke about a charity (formaly The Guliford Eye Project) formed in 1998 by Guildford Rotarian, Dr Sam Das MBE. Dr Das, a former eye surgeon and consultant ophthalmic consultant at the local Royal Surrey Infirmary, had the ambition to provide one million cataract operations to people in undeveloped countries who would otherwise have no access to the treatment. It is estimated that there are up to 650 million individuals worldwide
who are too poor to access solutions to a variety of sight problems. Within that number are nearly 50 million people in need of surgical procedures, typically cataract operations; these are known as the avoidably blind.
Global Sight Solutions (GSS) provides permanent local eye hospital. They are sponsored and run by the local Rotary club which is expected to find a building for the eye hospital and maintain all the medical units so communities have access to a 24/7 service. GSS provides training for eye surgeons, microscopes and laser equipment, “eye buses” to transport patients from remoter areas, mobile eye screening camps
and surgical ophthalmic procedures. While all eye conditions can be assessed the main focus is on avoidable blindness such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and diabetic retinopathy.
 
The first ten eye surgeons working in India were trained in the UK through Rotary Group Study Exchange  Projects and African eye surgeons were trained with support from Indian Rotarians and their Rotary Clubs.
GSS operates an equal funding partnership between itself, the local Rotary club, other donors in the areas of need and the Rotary Foundation; this Rotary Global Grant process can see a UK donation increased sixfold. A donation of £5 will provide a cataract operation! GSS requires the local clubs to provide the building, to maintain all medical units and appoint independent auditors. All eye hospitals must achieve financial independence and are expected to become self-funding and independent of donations; sources of income may be from private patients, the establishment of pharmacies, optical shops and well-man clinics. Surgeons are only paid expenses for working on the poor.
 
Since GSS was first formed 70 hospitals have been opened, 10 million eye tests and 1 million cataract operations have been undertaken. New hospitals are planned for Nepal, Ghana and Uganda, an eye surgeon training clinic in Nigeria is being set and 180 eye surgeons are to be trained in the next five years.
Like all charities, Global Sight Solutions needs funds; the charity wants to expand its work and needs more surgical instruments and equipment and eye buses. For more information have a look at the web-site www.globalsightsolutions.org

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