DHAKA, Sept 24, 2025 (BSS) - The Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and 
Orbis International have launched a sweeping initiative to provide 100,000 
cataract operations for low-income people across the country over the next 
two years.

The project titled 'Comprehensive Cataract Services in Bangladesh,' aims to 
eliminate preventable blindness in the country. 

It was officially inaugurated today at a function at the PKSF building in the 
city, said a press release.

Speakers at the inaugural ceremony highlighted the severe impact of vision 
impairment on national productivity and poverty. Approximately 550,000 people 
over the age of 30 in Bangladesh are currently sightless (blind), with 
cataracts accounting for about 70 percent of these cases. A significant 
portion of this demographic is of working age, negatively affecting the 
country's economic output.

Md. Saidur Rahman, secretary of the Health Service Division under the 
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, attended the launching ceremony as the 
chief guest. 

He stressed the profound connection between sight loss and poverty, stating 
that a person without eyes is poor, and their family loses its earning 
source.

"It is difficult to say which organ is most important, but eyes must be 
viewed differently," said Rahman. 

He remarked that those who have lost their vision "see no light of hope in 
the world" and feel that everything in their life has ended.

The event was chaired by PKSF Chairman Zakir Ahmed Khan. Christy Hubbard, 
director of Foundations and Institutional Resource Development at Orbis 
International, attended the event as a special guest while Md Fazlul Quader, 
PKSF managing director, delivered the welcoming speech, and Deputy Managing 
Director Muhammad Hasan Khaled offered the vote of thanks.