Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International is a 501(c)3 that provides worldwide medical, surgical, and educational services through volunteer ophthalmic surgeons with the primary objective of restoring sight and transforming lives.

At the invitation of eye surgeons in developing countries, and with the approval of local health and civic authorities, SEE International recruits, organizes, and deploys numerous small surgical teams worldwide. Since being founded in 1974, SEE’s eye surgeons have examined more than 3 million patients and performed over 370,000 sight-restoring operations.

SEE International is the link that connects volunteer ophthalmologists to host clinic sites that are in desperate need of help alleviating the overwhelming numbers of people living in darkness. SEE International organizes the clinics and provides most of the equipment and supplies that are needed. SEE’s volunteer eye surgeons donate their time and pay for all their own travel expenses. During each clinic (approximately five days long), sight is typically restored to 50 to 200 people.

To make this extraordinary work both far-reaching and sustainable, SEE relies on donors. We have created a network of in-kind donors, including Alcon Labs, Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, and Bausch & Lomb, who donate most of the supplies that are used for the clinics. The remainder of the cost—$108 per surgery—is covered by generous individuals and foundations around the world.

Our 600+ volunteer ophthalmologists’ desire to make a difference in the world by using their skills and personal financial resources to cure blindness in developing countries inspires us. We support their philanthropic leadership by maintaining working relationships with surgeons around the world, coordinating international clinics, gathering the best medical supplies available, and offering cutting-edge training for cataract surgery.

Blindness is an underlying cause of poverty and hunger in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that of the world’s 37 million blind people

• 90% live in developing countries
• 80% of the cases are avoidable or treatable
• 48% are blind because of cataracts

SEE International's primary focus is on cataract surgery. This type of surgery is one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions. Cataract blindness is readily curable. A volunteer SEE International surgeon can restore the sight of a person who has been blind with cataracts for 5, 10, or even 20 years with a local anesthetic and a 30-minute surgery.