Most people take their sight for granted, but for pop singer Cass Phang it is something she treasures.
As the first 'sight ambassador' for Orbis, Cass recently went on a plane mission to Urumqi in Xinjiang, northwestern China, and was touched by what she saw.
'The medical team at Orbis, made up of doctors and nurses, all volunteer their time and effort without any financial compensation to help people regain their eyesight. This I find truly remarkable,' says Cass, who almost lost her sight as a child when she got glue in her eye.
'I was worried about losing my sight but fortunately I was treated and cured at a hospital. Many people are blind simply because they can't get help.' William Tidball, vice-president of Orbis Asia, says training programmes are conducted in China once a year.
'We have around 17 doctors fly in from all around the world. Our primary goal is to train local doctors and nurses on how to conduct these sight-saving operations, rather than do the operations ourselves, as in this way we can reach more people.' Orbis, which means 'of the eye' in Greek and 'around the world' in Latin, was conceived in the 1970s by Texan ophthalmologist Dr David Paton.
The programme finally took flight in 1982 through a grant from the US Government and a donated plane from United Airlines. It was transformed into a fully equipped eye surgery hospital where training is held.
