More than 100 km beyond the tiny Tibetan village of Gucho stands Mt. Everest. On a clear day, the sharp profile of Everest's northwest face is visible from the village's rocky paths. But not to the dozens of men and women gathered outside Gucho's medical center. They can barely see their own hands, much less the imposing form of the world's highest mountain.

These people are blind, most made so by the high levels of ultraviolet radiation present at the towering altitudes of their homeland. Seared by UV rays, the lenses of their eyes have formed the cloudy patches known as cataracts. In their early stages, cataracts merely dim the sight. But eventually, as they become whiter and denser, they block it entirely. In Tibet, an estimated 30,000 people are blind as a result of cataracts; each year about 1,000 receive operations--and an additional 1,500 to 2,000 lose their sight. Among those over 50, the problem is endemic. Most of the patients waiting at the Gucho hospital are elderly and have been brought in by relatives and friends. Some have been blind for decades.

The duration of their misery is staggering, considering the swiftness of the procedure that will restore their vision. Dr. Sanduk Ruit--a Sherpa from Nepal, where he is medical director of Katmandu's Tilganga Eye Centre--has come to Gucho at the invitation of the Tibet Development Fund on what he calls a "commando mission" to remove cataracts and to train local doctors in his methods. There are plenty of patients available for study; today 72 cataract sufferers are waiting here for relief.

PAGE 1  |  2