Help Eye Foundation to spread light, enable sight

The Sri Lanka Eye Foundation called for donations from local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Sri Lanka Eye Foundation Director Ananda Pilimatalavuva said even the public could donate to the Foundation to commemorate birthdays and death anniversaries since the donations will be ‘little drops of water’ that will assist the foundation in its humanitarian service projects.

“Foreign donations have declined this year due to the aftermath of the recession in Europe and the United States and amounted to only Rs 3,053,500. This void has been compensated to some extent by the local donors who contributed Rs 1,234,170,” Pilimatalavuva said.

The Sri Lanka Eye Foundation held its 20th Annual General Meeting on March 5 in Kandy with its founder president Consultant Ophthalmologist Dr Reggie Seimon in the chair.

Dr Seimon has many friends among the professionals, leading entrepreneurs and service organizations. When he set up this foundation they rallied round him in support of this project.

Funding has been mainly through donations from his friends and institutions abroad. The Foundation’s annual report for 2010/2011 speaks of the Foundation’s successes in spreading light among the poorer people of Sri Lanka.

In patient care, the foundation sponsored 1,138 Intra-Ocular Lenses valued at Rs 1,135,000 to needy patients, 1,222 Presbyopic spectacles valued at Rs 134,420 were issued to the Eye Units to be issued in turn to needy patients and 1,575 vials of ophthalmic preparations were distributed among the Eye Units, the Eye Surgeons in Provincial Eye Units and the Eye Hospital, Colombo.

Besides these, they were also issued with intra-ocular lenses, eye drops, sutures, presbyopic spectacles and slit knives on request.

In primary eye care, a training program for 30 field health midwives was conducted at the Marawila Base Hospital by their Consultant Ophthalmologist.