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SNOWBIRD -- Though it may be counterintuitive, some of the top doctors in Utah have been learning surgical methods from a man who grew up in a tiny Himalayan village and still works in one of the world's poorest countries.
Dr. Sanduk Ruit an ophthalmologist in Kathmandu, Nepal has personally restored the sight of at least 100,000 blind people due to cataracts. In poor countries like Nepal, more people are living longer, but as they age, a vast number of them develop cataracts and go blind. He will mentor experts at the Moran Eye Center Saturday to help meet the needs of the country.
"We need to do about 100 million (cataracts) a year," said Ruit. "And we are just doing about 20 million."
Ruit grew up poor in Nepal in a village without a school but eventually became an ophthalmologist. He developed surgical techniques and management systems that are changing lives for blind people in poorer places all over the world. He does cataract surgery much faster, cheaper and almost as reliably as in high-tech countries.
"We could do it about seven times quicker than what you do here and for about one 30th of the cost that you spend here," Ruit said.
We could do it about seven times quicker than what you do here and for about one 30th of the cost that you spend here.
–- Dr. Sanduk Ruit
Ruit's method, according to Dr. Ray Price, associated director at the Center for Global Surgery, is a model for what the center is trying to accomplish world-wide.
Price organized this weekend's conference of experts on all aspects of surgery. They're trying to figure out better ways to get surgical care to 4 billion people in poor countries, not just for their eyes, but for their health.
"There's a huge need for surgical care in these areas," Price said. "It has been neglected. How can we cure that? How can we fix it?"
Ruit has gone a long way toward fixing the eye problem. He's trained other surgeons to take his techniques to millions of people in poor countries.
"It doesn't matter that he's from Nepal, from a small village, didn't start going to school until he got walked to a school at age eight. He's a brilliant man who thinks and tries to improve things every day," said Dr. Geoffrey Tabin, professor of Opthalmology at Moran Eye Center.
Ruit is to be keynote speaker tomorrow night at a fundraiser at Snowbird. The annual Night For Sight raises money for the Moran Eye Center's international effort, saving and restoring vision in dozens of poor countries around the world.
