Need cararact surgery but lack insurance or ability to pay? This program may be for you
For nearly 30 years, Center For Sight has been providing free cataract surgery through Mission Cataract for persons losing their sight and who have no health insurance or means to pay for the procedure.
This year, 100 patients will be selected to receive receive cataract surgery free of charge.
To apply, potential patients should download an application at www.CFSfoundation.org, or call 941-480-2143 for application information.
Submission deadline is May 14. Surgery dates for Mission Cataract will be held in August at Center For Sight’s surgery center in Sarasota.
Center For Sight has 14 locations in Southwest Florida, from University Park in Manatee County to Naples.
Cataracts are a natural part of the aging process and usually develop slowly, causing cloudy vision, loss of color perception and trouble reading or driving at night. Cataracts may also appear at any age, and may develop rapidly.
Surgery is performed to remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial lens implant, offering patients the ability to regain the vision of their youth.
To qualify for treatment through Mission Cataract, potential patients:
▪ Must be a U.S. Citizen or resident alien (green card)
▪ Cannot have insurance or be enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid
▪ Must be living at or below the poverty guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
There may be more need this year due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A previous recipient of free cataract surgery once told the Herald that she had worked all her life building boats, but when the factory where she worked shut down, she found herself without health insurance and too young for Medicare.
Driving was torture, especially at night, when she would be blinded by the lights of oncoming cars, and she flunked her eye exam when renewing her driver license.
The surgery allowed her to reclaim her life, get back to work, and get behind the wheel of her car again.
To continue offering free cataract surgery to those in need, Center For Sight has once again partnered with the ASCRS Foundation/Operation Sight, LENSAR, Inc. and the Center For Sight Foundation.
Dr. David Shoemaker, founder and director of cataract and lens replacement surgery at Center For Sight, along with cataract surgeons Dr. William J. Lahners, Dr. Joshua W. Kim, Dr. William L. Soscia, and Dr. Joaquin O. De Rojas, perform the free surgeries each year.
The Center For Sight surgeons and their team of optometric physicians, nurse anesthetists, medical technicians and administrative staff donate their time and expertise to the cause.
For additional information and locations, visit www.CenterForSight.net.
