Celebrating World Sight Day

Bringing Eye Care Closer to Communities in Papua New Guinea.

Families travelled for hours to St Mary Vunapope Hospital in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, where patients awaited life-changing cataract surgery. Among them two children born with a blinding condition, soon to see the world with clear eyes.

For the first time, this outreach was entirely led by local doctors and nurses – a milestone in cbm’s 40-year journey to build sustainable eye care across PNG. When cbm began, there were no eye doctors in the country. By collaborating with other agencies to establish the first Eye Clinic in the Highlands and partnering with the University of Papua New Guinea to train ophthalmologists, cbm laid the foundation for a nationwide eye-health system.

Today, established doctors in the Highlands and East New Britain are restoring sight, mentoring young doctors, and training eye nurses to deliver services once reliant on expatriate teams. More than 30,000 eye surgeries have been performed through these partnerships, and new hubs are emerging in provinces once beyond reach.

This transformation – supported by cbm donors, the PNG health system, and partners like MFAT and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation – means people in even the most remote communities can now access sight-saving surgery close to home and a pair of glasses to correct refractive error. It is a powerful example of locally led development: decades of investment, trust, and training now bearing fruit in lasting, community-owned care.

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