Humanitarian Field Operations

Surgical Expeditions to the Ends of the Earth

Name: Global Eye Surgery Expeditions of Dr. Sanduk Ruit
Creator: Dr. Sanduk Ruit

Transforming mountain classrooms, rural tents, and remote halls into sterile operating suites to restore vision where no eye doctors exist.

Outreach Summary

30+ Nations Reached

180,000+ Operations Completed

Strict Sterile Protocols Maintained

Operational Rigor

The Anatomy of a High-Volume Eye Camp

Advance Screening

Community health workers trek for weeks across mountain valleys, screening thousands of villagers and triaging mature cataract cases.

Sterilization Chain

Deployable high-pressure autoclaves and strict scrub protocols guarantee sterile micro-surgical fields inside makeshift rural setups.

Rapid Micro-Surgery

Operating simultaneously across parallel tables, Dr. Ruit and his surgical team complete a cataract replacement every 3.5 to 5 minutes.

24-Hour Bandage Removal

Patches are removed the following morning; patients undergo post-op refraction and walk home unassisted with restored vision.

Field Footprint

Featured Global Expeditions

East Asia

Pyongyang, North Korea

In a historic medical diplomatic expedition documented by National Geographic, Dr. Ruit operated continuously over 6 days, curing over 1,000 blind patients.

1,000+ Surgeries View Details

African surgical fellowship and training

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia & Ghana Outreach

Teaming up with the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP CureBlindness), Dr. Ruit scaled the SICS model across Africa, clearing immense national backlogs while training local doctors.

20,000+ Lenses Deployed View Details

Post-operative check in high mountain valley

Himalayan Ranges

Mustang, Taplejung & Dolpo

Carrying portable microscopes and generators on yaks and porters across mountain passes above 4,000 meters to reach patients isolated from modern roads.

Annual High Camps View Details

South Asia

Royal Government of Bhutan

Invited by the Royal Government of Bhutan to conduct country-wide blindness surveys and multi-district surgical camps, eradicating the country's curable cataract backlog.

National Backlog Cleared View Details

Tibetan Plateau

Lhasa & Shigatse Expeditions

High ultraviolet exposure causes early blindness across the Tibetan Plateau. Dr. Ruit led multiple cross-border missions, establishing local surgical infrastructure.

5,000+ Sights Restored View Details

Southeast Asia

Indonesia & Myanmar Outreach

Conducting island-to-island outreach expeditions across the Indonesian archipelago and rural Myanmar, transferring SICS techniques to provincial surgeons.

Regional Surgeon Training View Details

Restored Independence

Voices from the Field

"For eight years, I could only listen to the voices of my grandchildren. I was a burden to my children because someone always had to lead me by the hand. Today, when Dr. Ruit removed my bandages, I saw the mountains and my family's faces for the first time in nearly a decade."

Pemba Sherpa (Age 72)

Solukhumbu Mountain District, Nepal

"In remote areas, blindness does not simply rob an individual of sight—it removes a breadwinner and pulls a child out of school to serve as a caretaker. Restoring sight within 5 minutes breaks that intergenerational poverty cycle permanently."

Dr. Geoff Tabin

Co-Founder, Himalayan Cataract Project

"There is a new sky for my eye! I am free from the hell of darkness! Yesterday I could not see the shadow of a hand in front of my face. Today I can see clearly and will be able to take care of myself without begging."

Sonam Dechen (Age 63)

High Plateau Outreach Camp, Golog

"Watching an entire line of hundreds of patients walk into an operating room blind and walk out the next morning seeing their farms and cattle again is nothing short of a modern miracle. Dr. Ruit's surgical speed is astounding."

Dr. Wanjiku Mwangi

Visiting Outreach Fellow, Sub-Saharan Eye Initiative

"I thought my blindness was a punishment of old age that I had to endure. Dr. Ruit treated me with such warmth and in less than five minutes gave me back my hands and my independence to weave baskets again."

Karma Dorji (Age 68)

Trashigang District, Kingdom of Bhutan

"The surgical chair in these remote tents is the most comfortable place on Earth that I have. There is no greater reward than seeing someone realize they can see their children's faces again."

Dr. Sanduk Ruit

Founder & Chief Surgeon, Tilganga Institute

Explore The Technology Behind The Expeditions

Sponsor a Rural Surgical Camp

A contribution of $25 provides a high-quality intraocular lens, surgical consumables, and post-operative care to restore the sight of a blind individual.

Fund Field Surgeries Learn More