THE LAYTON RAHMATULLA BENEVOLENT TRUST (LRBT) is the largest provider of eye care in Pakistan devoted to the prevention of curable blindness and impaired vision in people who live around the poverty line. With 2/3rds of our population living on less than $ 5 a day, which is barely enough to put one square meal on the table leaving very little to cover the cost of medical emergencies. It is due to this that millions of eye patients suffering from curable diseases never go to hospitals knowing that they will not be able to afford the treatment and precious lives that can be transformed are left to fester in the darkness blaming it on fate. Although 80 % of the blindness is curable, most of it is due to cataract. WHO rates eye care as one of the 10 most cost effective treatments as it converts a person who is a burden on his/her family & community into a productive individual.
From a humble beginning; a mobile clinic in Tando Bago in lower Sindh in November 1985 LRBT has grown to a network of 74 facilities spread over 4 provinces of the country. This network ensures that most Pakistanis are no more than 200 Kms. from any LRBT facility.
Since its inception 31 years ago LRBT, through its 19 hospitals and 55 Clinics, has treated over 32 million patients and performed over 3.2 million major and minor eye surgeries absolutely free for the poor..
During the year ending June’15 we treated over 2.7 million patients in OPD and performed over 250,000 major & minor surgeries free of all charges. LRBT is the major provider of eye care in the country treating 36% of all eye patients, performing 27.4% of eye surgeries and 32% of all Paediatric eye surgeries.
Over the last 31 years, the prevalence of blindness has declined by almost 50 %. This is a great success story & LRBT is the major contributor in making it happen. However there are still 20 million visually impaired/blind existing in the country. So our goal of a curable blindness free Pakistan is still far away and there is a lot to do.
The scope of LRBT eye care facilities and services are increasing with time and it becomes extremely difficult for an NGO to match this demand without new pool of donors coming in. In order to continue serving our poor eye patients for free we are in constant need of donations and seek help from all sectors.
Please come forward and make a difference in someone’s life by giving the gift of sight.
Children are the faces of tomorrow, our living dreams of today. But these dreams turn into a nightmare when these innocent sparkling eyes lose their gleam and cannot see our beautiful world.
There are 2.5 million blind & visually impaired children in Pakistan. 80 % of them can be cured. The main problem is affordability.