Non-profit Limpopo hospital assists underprivileged people suffering from blindness caused by cataracts

A unique non-profit hospital outside Modimolle in Limpopo has stepped in to assist underprivileged people suffering from blindness caused by cataracts in the rural parts of the province.

Hope for the Blind, a specialist eye hospital, focuses primarily on cataract surgery, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the province.

Using a cross-subsidy model, the hospital charges market rates for patients with medical aid, which helps fund surgeries for those who can’t afford the cost of treatment.

In the heart of Waterberg, a small but remarkable non-profit hospital is transforming lives by restoring sight to those living with preventable blindness.

The hospital houses two fully equipped day theatres and a team of experienced ophthalmic surgeons who perform dozens of sight-restoring procedures each month.

The programme's art curator, Johan Stegmann, said the goal is to provide “credible, affordable solutions for preventable blindness”.

"The only organisation really addressing this is government, and the aim of Hope for the Blind is to create a private industry venture with the express purpose of helping the government address this issue.”

Stegmann said that as part of the unique experience is First Sight, is an on-site art initiative that allows patients to view works by prominent South African artists moments after their eye patches are removed.

"So, First Light is basically this project with this idea of showing art to people that see for the first time and then typically they'll [patients] be looking around the room and the nursing staff will also be looking for an indication of how well can this person see [post-surgery].”

For many in Limpopo, this hospital is more than a medical facility, it is where light, dignity, and hope are restored.