A vision realised: the new eye hospital in Nepal

In 2024, the Nijgadh Tilganga Community Eye Hospital officially opened in Nepal’s Madhesh Province, bringing world-class eye care to some of the country’s most underserved communities. Thanks to the support of people like you, Dr Sanduk Ruit can now take viewers on a personal walk-through of the hospital, showing how this four-storey facility delivers sight-restoring care with dignity and compassion. The video highlights emergency services, modern operating theatres, counselling rooms, and a pharmacy, demonstrating how the hospital is designed to serve women, people with disabilities, and those facing barriers to access.

Each year, nearly 55,000 people will be treated here, many for the first time. The hospital is more than a building—it is a vision brought to life, shaped by decades of dedication and a shared belief between Dr Ruit and Fred Hollows: that everyone has the right to sight. This milestone was made possible through the generosity of donors who help bring life-changing care closer to those who need it most.

Watch Dr Ruit take a personal walk-through of the hospital and see what you have helped build:

A life-changing difference: Mitthu and Krishna

Before the hospital opened in Nepal, Mitthu had to travel two hours by bus to Hetauda for her cataract surgery, paying for accommodation and a companion. "For everything, I had to go to Hetauda. Even for small medicines, I waste a lot of time and money going there," she recalls.

Now, with the hospital less than five minutes from home, Mitthu can access treatment quickly and affordably, and her husband Krishna, 82, also received surgery nearby. For Krishna, poor vision had made daily tasks difficult and prevented him from farming to earn an income. On the morning of his surgery, when Dr Reeta Gurung, CEO of the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, removed Krishna’s eye patches, he was overcome with emotion, embracing the doctor, his wife, and their great-granddaughter Renish, 3.

Krishna has his eye patch removed by Dr Reeta Gurung, CEO of Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, after cataract surgery at the new Nijgadh Tilganga Community Eye Hospital.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

Stories like theirs show the real impact of donor support. Because donors helped fund the hospital, families like Mitthu and Krishna’s can receive treatment close to home, avoid costly travel, and regain independence.

Read Mitthu and Krishna's story.

Why this hospital matters

Nepal faces a significant burden of avoidable blindness:

• Seven children lose their vision every day, often from preventable causes.

• Cataracts account for 62.2 percent of blindness among people over 50.

• Nearly 82 percent of those who are blind could have retained their sight with better access to affordable care.

The Nijgadh hospital directly addresses these challenges, providing high-quality eye care close to home and reaching people who previously faced long travel times, high costs, and limited services. Thanks to donors, the hospital is already transforming lives and preventing needless blindness.

The Foundation’s work in Nepal

The partnership between Fred Hollows and Dr Ruit began in the mid-1980s, with a shared goal of ending avoidable blindness through modern cataract surgery. Their collaboration led to the Fred Hollows Intraocular Lens Laboratory, producing affordable lenses locally, and the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, which has restored sight to over 120,000 people.

Dr Sanduk Ruit and the Tilganga team at the Pullahari Monastery Eye Camp in Kathmandu in May 2019, where hundreds of patients were screened and dozens received sight-restoring surgeries.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

Today, The Fred Hollows Foundation continues to work closely with Tilganga to train eye care personnel, build facilities, conduct outreach clinics, and implement programs that make a tangible difference. The Nijgadh hospital is the latest and most visible achievement of this long-term partnership, reflecting a continued commitment to eye health as a social, economic, and development issue. 

Support more hospitals, outreach programs and sight-restoring care in Nepal and beyond. Donate now.