ISight Missions

MISSION

iSight Missions is a nonprofit charity that provides impoverished persons access to sustainable, affordable, quality eye care and vision-restoring surgeries, and trains eye care providers worldwide. These interventions are cost-effective solutions to reverse poverty & promote ​the fundamental right to sight.

“Thank you for selecting iSight Missions as one of The Fusenot Foundation’s charities. Your donation will assist us in providing MSICS cataract surgery to the poor across the globe, as well as recruit and train eye care providers to join our battle against blindness.”

Dr. Jeff Rutgard, Founder

iSight Missions

TECATE, MEXICO

We were packing up our instruments and supplies and getting ready to leave our clinic in Tecate, Mexico after doing a dozen surgeries when Jose was led into our clinic by his wife, Maria. Jose went totally blind 2 years prior and was unable to work.

He and Maria have 2 children but he could no longer help Maria with the children. They money he had saved and the money Maria earned was not enough to pay the thousands of dollars it cost to have Jose’s blinding cataracts removed. If you look into Jose’s eyes you can see the white opacity of his bilateral cataracts and understand why he was unable to see at all.

Jose had lost much of his body weight. He did not want to eat because this would be a further burden on his family. Maria had heard about our once a month free surgery clinic from another once blind patient who could now see that very day and she brought Jose right in hoping we could help his blindness.

I told our team that I truly wanted to help Jose and was willing to unpack and sterilize our instruments, set up the sterile room and do another surgery that day. Our wonderful team all agreed ! So we did. Jose now sees and is back working and taking care of his family !

EL FUERTE, MEXICO

A month after the Tecate mission trip, we ventured to El Fuerte, Mexico where we operated on many patients. You can see the number of patients hoping to be seen that first day in the eye clinic.

The El Fuerte patient Margarita is the reaction of each of the once blind patients when we told them “tomorrow” they will see again and be able to work and take care of their families and no longer be a burden on anyone because they will no longer be blind ! The Joy is seen in Margarita’s smile!

CIENAGA de ORO, COLOMBIA

Cienaga de Oro, Colombia is a very poor region situated on swamp land. We performed over 100 surgeries on this mission. One of the surgeries was on a 24 year old girl, who was on the back of a motorcycle, a common. form of inexpensive transportation when it crashed. She was hit in her left eye and went blind.

Before and after photos of her operation, the damaged blind eye and then after a transforming eye surgery. Her vision has been restored and she can see very well again !

HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

One of our other facets is teaching students from U.S. Universities the importance of humanitarian service. In addition, we educate professional school students such as these optometry students, medical and nursing students, and eye surgeons on surgical techniques.

Our education program is teaching empathy and compassion for others less fortunate in developing countries and creating more grateful U.S. citizens who are developing desires to be a part of those individuals willing to provide humanitarian services for others in need.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

In addition, Dr Rutgard trains eye surgeons in developing countries to improve their skills and to inspire within them the compassionate spirit to serve the poor in their own countries.

Below are two such physicians one from Bolivia, one from Beirut, of the many he was privileged to train this past 12 months.