Mercy Airlift

Mercy Airlift has implemented a humanitarian program in coordination with the Vision 2020 initiative established by the World Health Organization. This program is called the Crystal Project, and its goal is to eradicate the most common human ailment - cataract blindness.

Did you know . . .

* 42% of the world blindness (i.e. over 95 million people) is due to cataracts, which can be completely prevented.
* Annual estimates indicate that at least 5 million additional people are affected by cataract-blindness - every 6 seconds another person in the world turns totally blind and cannot walk unaided.
* Cataracts are the clouding of the lens in our eye. It is predominantly an age-related process that develops slowly over several years. Every human who lives long enough is prone to be afflicted by some level of cataract blindness. However, cataracts are easily corrected through a 15-minute outpatient procedure that involves the surgical replacement of the clouded lens with an artificial lens.
* In wealthy nations, cataract blindness is almost nonexistent due to the ample availability of cataract surgery and lens implants, administered as soon as the clouding begins to impair the vision of patients.
* Most cataract blindness occurs in developing countries due to the unavailability of the surgical procedure, the shortatge of trained surgeons, and the lack of affordable lens implants.
* Left untreated, the cataract-blind population worldwide will double by the year 2020.
* To control the incidence of cataracts before the year 2020, a staggering 400 million cataract procedures will need to be performed.

There is a solution - The Crystal Project

Initiated by Mercy Airlift, the Crystal Project is a humanitarian program that aims to restore sight to millions of cataract patients in underprivileged countries. It combines synergistically:

* A surgical procedure validated by the World Health Organization that addresses the needs of the harsh environment of local medical communities
* A distance-learning platform and a certification process, both under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
* Hands-on surgical sessions in mobile surgical units aboard Mercy Airlift's converted aircraft, as well as follow-up missions led by Mercy Airlift medical staff and partners dedicated to the cause of world blindness
* A unique partnership with medical manufacturers for the affordable supply of lens implants and other medical consumables and equipment