This Visionary Eye Surgeon Dr Sanduk Ruit Has Restored Sight To Over 100,000 Poor Patients For Free — And Most People Still Don't Know His Name

India.com

04-05-2025

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In a remote Himalayan village where basic healthcare is a dream and roads disappear into clouds, one man dared to defy destiny. Armed with nothing but skill, compassion, and a pair of steady hands, Dr Sanduk Ruit has quietly transformed over 100,000 lives—restoring sight to the blind without charging a single rupee to those who couldn't afford it. Now, with the world finally taking notice following his 2025 Isa Award for Service to Humanity, the story of this unsung hero is emerging from the shadows. What he's achieved isn't just rare—it's revolutionary. https://zeenews.india.com/photos/lifestyle/this-visionary-eye-surgeon-dr-sanduk-ruit-has-restored-sight-to-over-100000-poor-patients-for-free-and-most-people-still-don-t-know-his-name-2895296 Updated:May 04, 2025, 09:53 AM IST Bahrain's Isa Award 2025
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In January 2025, Nepalese eye surgeon Dr Sanduk Ruit was awarded Bahrain's prestigious Isa Award for Service to Humanity, catapulting his life's work into global headlines. Known as the "God of Sight" among his patients, Dr Ruit has quietly led a revolution in cataract surgery—restoring vision to over 100,000 underprivileged people worldwide, often at zero cost. Restoring Spotlight on a Silent Hero
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But what's even more extraordinary? Each surgery, which can cost Rs 2.5 lakh ($3,000) in the West, is performed by his team for just Rs 2,000 ($25) using lenses they manufacture themselves. The Himalayan Miracle
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In April 2025, Ruit's team trekked over 4,300 meters into Dolpo, one of the most inaccessible regions of Nepal, during the ancient Shey Festival. Battling landslides and freezing winds, they screened 1,200 villagers and performed 98 cataract surgeries in makeshift operating rooms. Taking Surgeries Where Roads Don't Go
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'The gratitude in a grandmother's eyes when she sees her grandchild again – that's worth every hardship,' Dr Ruit said. His sutureless small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) technique, honed over three decades, delivers outcomes comparable to top-tier Western methods but at a fraction of the cost. How a Remote Village Boy Reimagined Global Eye Care
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Born in Olangchungola, a secluded Himalayan village near Tibet, Dr Ruit's early life was marked by tragedy. At 17, he carried his sister's body for days after she died from untreated tuberculosis. That loss sparked his lifelong resolve: poverty should not mean suffering. Restoring Vision To The Poor
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Today, his Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu performs 2,500 eye surgeries every week, 40% of which are completely free. The intraocular lenses, once sold for Rs 16,000 ($200), are now made in-house for just Rs 320 ($4) — a 98% reduction that flipped the cataract surgery industry on its head. The Power of Partnership
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The story of Dr Ruit cannot be told without Australian ophthalmologist Fred Hollows, his mentor and close collaborator. In the 1980s, the duo conducted blindness surveys across Nepal, which later evolved into the Tilganga Institute, established in 1994. Fred Hollows and the Birth of a Movement
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Hollows and Ruit proved that top-quality surgery didn't need to be expensive, setting up Nepal's first lens manufacturing facility. After Hollows' death in 1993, Ruit continued the mission, co-founding the Himalayan Cataract Project with American surgeon Dr Geoffrey Tabin, training eye surgeons across 20+ countries.
Their impact? Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Rwanda have adopted the model. In Africa alone, over 50,000 surgeries are performed each year following his protocols. More Than a Surgeon
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Dr Geoffrey Tabin aptly said, 'He didn't just invent a surgery—he built an ecosystem.' Through surgical camps, community health outreach, and surgeon training programs, Dr Ruit has created a self-sustaining model of equitable healthcare. Building an Ecosystem for Change
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His technique—now taught at Harvard Medical School—has become the global gold standard for affordable cataract treatment. With 87% of patients achieving 20/40 vision or better, it proves that quality doesn't have to come at a premium. A Vision for Humanity, Not Profit
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The 2025 Isa Award jury commended Dr Ruit for his 'lifelong war against needless blindness.' But ask the doctor himself, and he'll downplay the accolades. 'The poor deserve the best—not the leftovers,' he insists. Global Health Hero
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This isn't just about restoring sight—it's about restoring dignity, mobility, and independence to people pushed to the margins. His model shows that healthcare can be compassionate, cost-effective, and scalable—a lesson the world urgently needs. Why His Story Matters Today
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In an era where AI diagnoses and robotic surgeries dominate headlines, Dr Ruit's grassroots approach reminds us what true medical innovation looks like: not just smart, but human. He's taught the world that vision loss is often not a medical inevitability—but a moral one. Dr Sanduk Ruit
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And with his work still expanding across continents, the ripple effects of his mission are just beginning. Perhaps the biggest question now is: How many more lives can he change before the world finally catches up with his vision?
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Pic Credits: Dr Sanduk Ruit, Instagram
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