The purpose is to avoid blindness due to cataract, specially in rural areas of West Bengal, where medical facilities are not available. Various clubs in District 3290 including Rotary Club of Purulia have been conducting surgeries in their Eye Hospital at Purulia. Following are the main objectives :

• Organizing Rural Free Eye Screening Camps in interior villages of Purulia District.


• Screen Patients in the OPD of the hospital.


• Screen around 8,000 to 10,000 people and identify at least 1000 eligible patients for IOL surgeries.


• Perform IOL surgeries at Rotary Club of Purulia Service Centre (A Charitable Eye Clinic) run by Rotary Club of Purulia.


• Follow-up with any unlikely medical complications.

Assess the success and impact of these surgeries on the lives of the beneficiaries and their families.

• Project implementation began in the month of November 2006. Within the next 14 (fourteen) months (from November 2007 to January, 2008), the accomplishments were as follows :


• 15 Rural Free Eye Screening Camps were organized in interior rural pockets of Purulia district.


• In these 15 camps, 3784 patients were screened.


• Out of these, 1000 patients were chosen for free IOL implantation.


• 1000 families were benefited by way of one member in each family being restored vision and becoming an active member of the family now.

This project took place in a rural backward district named Purulia in the state of West Bengal in India in an effort to bring back light into the lives of those who have lost all hopes of seeing the daylight and the beautiful colours mother nature has spread all over the world. The Eye Screening Camps were held in interior villages.

Date of Camp	Camp Place (village)	Patients screened	IOL Cases selected
11-05-2006	Adra	324	66
11-19-2006	Lalpur	223	30
11-26-2006	Gopalpur	320	88
12-03-2006	Dhundhikhap	218	23
12-17-2006	Jhalda	263	118
12-24-2006	Lalpur	197	32
01-07-2007	Anara	240	77
01-12-2007	Lalpur	97	21
01-21-2007	Manipur	281	100
08-05-2007	Balarampur	300	120
08-12-2007	Hariharpur	200	49
08-19-2007	Kashipur	352	87
08-26-2007	Lalpur	235	87
09-09-2007	Arsha	236	73
09-16-2007	Berada	298	78

Surgeries were conducted at Rotary Club of Purulia Service Centre, a charitable eye clinic run by Rotary Club of Purulia.

The beneficiaries are members of poor families who either sustain themselves from seasonal agricultural practice or do small menial tasks at the rural level to make a living. Most of the beneficiaries have very low income and cannot afford to either reach a good eye care centre or do not have enough financial strength to afford the treatment. These people are the real needy people residing in the interior rural pockets.

Since this is the project hosted by Rotary Club of Purulia, RID 3290, it was the primary responsibility of Rotary Club of Purulia to implement the project. In this respect, involvement of club members was mandatory, and the Rotarians it took upon themselves to be part of the project at every level. A Core Working Committee was formed to manage the project and oversee its implementation. Other Rotarians who are not part of the Core Working Committee also suitably provided support to the project. Regular communication (mostly by e-mail) at the local, district level and with the International club partner club helped to take care of every aspect of the project.

• Completing the paperwork for getting the project in favour of Rotary Club of Purulia.


• Continuous Communication with the District 3290 officials and related persons related to this project.


• Communication with the International Partners on a regular basis.


• Locating potential areas for organizing the eye camps in interior needy rural pockets.


• Locating local organizers to assist in organizing such camps.


• Finalizing the camp village and venue and date of the camp.


• Overseeing the preparation at the camp venue prior to the day of such camps.


• Attending the camp and assisting in registration of patients and making other logistic arrangements.


• Arranging for transportation of the selected patients to the base hospital for surgery and back to their village after surgery is done.


• Making arrangements in the Rotary Club of Purulia Service Centre, Eye Clinic towards accommodation, fooding and other facilities for the camp patients chosen for free IOL surgery under this matching grant project.


• Visiting the patients on a regular basis in the In-patient ward.


• Distribution of Dark glasses & Eye Guards to patients post-surgery.


• Periodic reporting to district and international partners on the progress of the project.


• Proper reporting and maintenance of records of the project.

• Rtn. Dr. Samar Das undertook to visit the eye hospital run by Rotary Club of Purulia, where free IOL surgeries under this project are being done.


• Dr. Samar Das attended an Operation Theater session on 11th January 2007, and had a discussion with our Doctors, Dr. Debasis Banerjee (CMO) & Dr. Abhijyoti Sengupta (MO).


• Dr. Samar Das went through the beneficiary details and reporting format used for the project.


• Dr. Samar Das visited the In-Patient ward on 11th January 2007 and spoke to the patients some of whom had already undergone surgery, while others were waiting their turn to be taken into the Operation theatre.


• Dr. Samar Das attended the regular weekly meeting of our club on 11th January 2007 and gave a motivation talk inspiring all to come forward and serve the community, especially in the field of eye care, which has been long neglected.


• Dr. Samar Das undertook to examine a post-operative patient and was very much satisfied with the surgery outcome.


• Dr. Samar Das handed over the dark glasses and eye guards to the post-operative patients being discharged on 12th January 2007.


• Dr. Samar Das & Rtn. Binod Khaitan attended a Rural Free Eye Screening Camp under this project, organized at Lalpur village on 12th January, 2007 at the proposed site for the Rotary eye Hospital to be developed by Rotary Club of Purulia.

• The lives of the beneficiaries have changed after they have come under the fold of this matching grant project of the Rotary Foundation.


• As per feedback received, some of the beneficiaries have started normal living and are able to carryout their day-to-day tasks.


• A few have started earning for their families after completing 6 weeks of post operative care & rest.


• Beneficiaries from farmer families have started working in their fields.


• An old woman, who had nobody to look after her, is now able to take care of herself.


• The beneficiaries have developed strong faith in Rotary and believe that Rotary can change their lives for the better.

• Increased awareness among the masses about eye care and its importance.


• An understanding that blindness due to cataract is curable and sight can be restored after a surgical procedure and IOL implantation.


• Increased healthy & hygienic practices in the rural areas, which is still deep-rooted in illiteracy.


• A stronger association of Rotary with the community and a better understanding of their needs, leading to conceiving of new project for community development.