OGDCL’s CSR Eye Care Programme is Transforming Lives Across Pakistan
Vision is one of the greatest gifts a person can possess, yet for millions of Pakistanis it remains threatened by preventable and treatable eye diseases and remain a significant public health concern in Pakistan.
According to the Pakistan National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, one of the country’s most comprehensive eye health studies involving more than 16,500 adults, cataracts account for 51.5 percent of all blindness, making them the leading cause of vision loss nationwide. The sur-vey estimated that nearly 570,000 Pakistanis were blind because of cataracts, while millions more experienced severe visual impairment caused by the condition.
Most importantly, researchers found that 85.5 percent of blindness and visual impairment in Pakistan is avoidable, meaning it can be prevented or treated through timely medical intervention.
Why Millions Remain at Risk
Alongside cataracts, other common causes of vision impairment include uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, corneal diseases and age-related eye disorders.
Unfortunately, many of these conditions remain undiagnosed until vision has already deteriorated significantly. Rural populations face additional barriers, including long distances to specialised hospitals, financial constraints, limited awareness and a shortage of trained ophthalmologists. For many families, particularly those living below the poverty line, the cost of surgery and travel can be overwhelming, resulting in unnecessary blindness despite the availability of effective treatment.
Recognising this challenge, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has made eye health a cornerstone of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, bringing life-changing medical services to communities that need them most.
From Vision to Action
The initiative began in 2018, when OGDCL signed an agreement with Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital to organise 27 free surgical eye camps across its op-erational districts. These camps were established in areas such as Attock, Ghotki and other remote locations where access to specialised ophthalmic services was extremely limited. Patients received comprehensive eye examinations, diagnosis, med-icines and referrals for surgery where necessary.
A total of 5,732 cataract surgeries were successfully performed free of charge, restoring vision to thousands
Building on the programme’s success, OGDCL significantly expanded the initiative in October 2021 by signing another Memorandum of Under-standing with Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital for 33 additional free surgical eye camps across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Restoring Sight, One Camp at a Time
According to OGDCL’s official CSR Report 2022, the 33 eye camps examined 53,829 patients thro-ugh outpatient consultations. A total of 5,732 cataract surgeries were successfully performed free of charge, restoring vision to thousands who would otherwise have remained blind. The pro-gramme also distributed 34,236 spectacles, pro-vided 5,509 specialised glasses, and conducted 7,513 COVID-19 PCR tests to facilitate safe surgical care.
The camps were strategically distributed across the country to maximise outreach. Twelve camps were organised in Sindh, eight in Balochistan, seven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and six in Punjab.
Services were delivered through District Head-quarters Hospitals, Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals, Basic Health Units and facilities established within OGDCL’s operational areas. Districts including Attock, Rajanpur, Vehari, Sanghar, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Karak, Kohat, Barkhan and Kohlu benefited directly from the initiative.
Expanding Access Through Innovation
According to the company’s ESG Report 2025, it organised 35 free surgical eye camps in collab-oration with Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, extend-ing services to more than 200,000 beneficiaries. The camps continued to provide comprehensive eye examinations, cataract surgeries, treatment of minor eye diseases, medicines, laboratory inves-tigations and free .
One of the programme’s most innovative devel-opments came in 2025 when OGDCL invested PKR 143.4 million to provide three fully equipped Mobile Eye Operation Theatre (OT) Trucks to Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital. Equipped with advanced operating microscopes, phacoe-mulsification machines, sterilisation systems and recovery facilities, the three units together have the capacity to perform up to 200 cataract surgeries per day
Beyond outreach services, OGDCL has also con-tributed to strengthening Pakistan’s permanent ophthalmic infrastructure by providing advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment to Al-Shifa Trust hospitals in Chakwal and Sukkur, enabling hospitals to diagnose and treat increasingly complex eye conditions with greater precision.
