Eye Camp - Tibet
Like many who visit Tibet, I was struck by the glaring need of ordinary Tibetans for modern medical care. But since 1995, American ophthalmologist, Dr. Marc Lieberman, has been doing something about it, traveling to Tibet twice a year to run mobile eye camps.
"In a country where much of the population lives at elevations of 15,000 feet, where solar radiation poses a high risk for cataracts, the disease has become an epidemic. Many of those afflicted with cataracts come from the poorest communities -- nomadic herders who have limited access to healthcare and face inevitable blindness without surgery...
A deeply spiritual man, Lieberman was inspired by the Dalai Lama to pursue his medical mission. Although his work is often made difficult by the political tensions of Tibetan life under Chinese rule, the primary goal of his nonprofit Tibet Vision Project is to train the Tibetan medical community to do the cataract surgeries themselves..."
Solotaroff's 2005 journey is captured in this Frontline Rough Cut documentary that features many delightful and inspiring moments, particularly among the Tibetan families who arrive at the camp full of anticipation and filled with gratitude when the doctors restore their sight.
