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For Immediate Release October 8, 2019

Madison, Wis.— On October 10, 2019, Combat Blindness International (CBI) will mark 35 years of treating blindness at a special World Sight Day gala at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The event will feature CBI’s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Suresh Chandra, as well as an international panel discussion about CBI’s global impact, and the presentation of the Radha Krishna Award.

“We’re honored to have so many distinguished guests and supporters join us to celebrate 35 years of fighting blindness on World Sight Day,” says Dr. Chandra. “We have come a long way. Today, instead of 300 cataract surgeries a year, we are supporting close to 20,000 surgeries a year. And that’s just the beginning.”

World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment.

“At this year’s World Sight Day celebration, we’re marking a major milestone since our humble beginnings in Madison in 1984,” says Reena Chandra Rajpal, Board President and Executive Director. “In our 35 years, we’ve supported 2.25 million eye screenings and have given the gift of sight to more than 370,000 people in 15 countries on 4 continents. And we couldn’t have made this progress without our partners and dedicated supporters.”

Combat Blindness International (CBI) is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to eliminating preventable blindness worldwide by providing sustainable, equitable solutions for sight through partnerships and innovation. Since it was founded in 1984 by Dr. Suresh Chandra, CBI has supported projects in 15 countries on 4 continents. CBI is a council member of Vision 2020: Right to Sight – a global joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).