Beneficiaries of eye care campaign in NBGs. (Photo: Courtesy).

More than 2,000 visually impaired people regained their sight in Northern Bahr el Ghazal following a three-week Eye Care Campaign led by the Diocese of Wau with funding from Cure Blindness Project.

The eye treatment exercise which commenced from November 29 to December 16, 2024 – has been providing free operations for over 100 patients per day and successfully operated (2,023) after screening (27,102) patients.

The campaign is set to resume in April 2025 with expectations of providing more support for blind patients.

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Governor Simon Ober Mawut, who attended the closing occasion of the campaign, applauded the Church for their efforts and commitment to uplifting the lives of thousands of people.

Eye illnesses including eye syndrome and eyelid conditions such as styes, cataracts, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma and macular degeneration – are among the neglected tropical diseases in South Sudan, where there are only two active treatment centers in Juba.

In 2020, there were an estimated 1.1 million people with vision loss in South Sudan out of whom 91,000 were blind, according to the International Agency for Preventing Blindness.

Cataract is a condition that clouds the normally clear lens of the eye and blurs vision and often develops in the old age.

It is the leading causes of blindness in South Sudan and accounts for 42%, while trachoma is (35.3%), according to According to Research Gate.