Almost 40 Hawaii residents receive free cataract surgeries

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Dozens of Hawaii residents will see a bit clearer thanks to the help of local doctors and nonprofits.

For the 4th year in a row, The Eye Surgery Center of Hawaii performed free cataract surgeries on Saturday as part of WikiVision’s Cataract Surgery Day.

38 uninsured and underinsured Hawaii residents benefited.

“It’s a life-changing experience for them. Where they can, it opens the world up to them again. They can see where they are walking. They can see their family and friends. They can see the leaves on the trees and the grass on the blades of the grass and things like that. And so it can be a very life-changing experience for them,” Ophthalmologist Dr. William Wong Jr. said.

The procedure typically costs upward of $10,000.

A fundraising concert featuring young musicians was held at Iolani School leading up to the surgeries, raising nearly $50,000 for the cause.

Donate to the cause here.

Find more information about the WikiVision here.