Nepal’s 'God of Sight' aims to make cataract surgery affordable and accessible beyond the country

A Nepalese elderly patient waits for his eye patch to be removed at the Tilganga Eye Center in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photos: AP

Just next to the Mayadevi temple where Buddha was born more than 2,600 years ago, hundreds of people lined up outside a makeshift hospital on a recent hazy day, hoping their fading eyesight could be restored.

A day later, these saffron-robed Buddhist monks, old farmers and housewives were able to see the world again because the nation’s renowned eye surgeon Dr Sanduk Ruit was there with his innovative and inexpensive cataract surgery that has earned him many awards.