ASCRS News: ASCRS Foundation Update
September 2023
by Megan Odell
ASCRS Foundation Associate Director
We all know that cataract surgery can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Why not help those who don’t have the resources for cataract surgery?
Regina Sun, MD
The ASCRS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of ASCRS, has been a driving force behind numerous initiatives that promote education, research, and patient care. Since 2014 with the inception of Operation Sight, the Foundation’s domestic charitable cataract surgery program, the Foundation has provided nearly 10,000 surgeries to underserved individuals in the U.S. With 750 volunteers dedicated to making cataract care accessible in their local community, patients can return to work, support their families, and regain their independence.
Since 2015, Operation Sight has celebrated National Sight Week, coinciding with World Sight Day, as a call to all members of the ophthalmic community to join in restoring sight. This important week grows awareness for the year-long program, celebrates the volunteers that make it possible, and most importantly, gives sight to more patients in need. Whether you are a registered Operation Sight volunteer like Regina Sun, MD, from Berkley Eye Center, in Houston, Texas, or looking to give back to your local community for the first time, National Sight Week is the perfect opportunity to get involved.
Source: ASCRS Foundation
“We are already so well trained to do cataract surgery, and adding one patient a month will really impact the local community,” Dr. Sun said. “There is no minimum requirement and obviously no upper limit to the patients you can help. We all know that cataract surgery can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Why not help those who don’t have the resources for cataract surgery?”
This year’s National Sight Week will be held October 8–14, and we invite all members of the ophthalmic community to give sight and remove patients from the ever-growing waitlist. Operation Sight provides ophthalmologists and practices the opportunity to provide charitable care to a pre-screened patient in need within their own community. Now is the time to get involved. With your support, the Foundation will add your name and practice to its recognition page. To register to volunteer, visit www.ascrs.org/foundation/operation-sight, or to donate, visit www.ascrs.org/foundation/donate.
Your generosity will give the gift of sight to a patient awaiting care. Be sure to engage and follow the ASCRS Foundation on your favorite social media platform during National Sight Week to help spread awareness about those affected by vision impairment.
For more information about how to support the Foundation, contact Megan Odell, ASCRS Foundation Associate Director, at modell@ascrs.org, or for Operation Sight questions, contact Rachel Goode, Operation Sight Program Manager, at rgoode@ascrs.org.
