Dr. Sanduk Ruit

Dr. Sanduk Ruit (Nepali सन्दुक रुइत ) is an award-winning Nepali eye surgeon whose small-incision cataract surgery, which utilizes inexpensive intraocular lenses, has enabled hundreds of thousands of poor cataract patients in Nepal and other countries to regain their sight. Over the last three decades, he has successfully treated over 100,000 people across the developing world, and has taught his technique to other eye surgeons.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Ruit was born in 1955 to uneducated parents in the remote Olangchungola Pass in Taplejung District of northeast Nepal, a mountain area of Nepal. The nearest school was eleven days away by foot in his village. However, his father, a small-time businessman, placed a priority on providing education to his children, sending Sanduk to St Robert's School in Darjeeling and providing financial support to his early medical career. Ruit was motivated to practice medicine partly by the death of his sister from tuberculosis.

In 1969, Ruit received his School Leaving Certificate from Siddhartha Vanasthali School in Kathmandu, Nepal, and later was educated in India beginning in 1981 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and also studied in the Netherlands, Australia and the United States, and was mentored by an Australian Professor, Dr. Fred Hollows.

MAJOR WORKS

In 1986, Dr. Ruit and his team from Tilganga developed and simplified cataract surgery with lens implantation at the community level. The surgery was made simple, appropriate and affordable with good visual outcome. In mid 90's Dr. Ruit and his team further simplified and fine tuned the small incision cataract surgery (SICS) and made it available for the community. Also, at the same time, state of the art Intraocular lenses (IOL) was manufactured at Tilganga, Nepal, to be used at extremely affordable price with similar result and outcome. As a result, the cost of IOLs has declined considerably, from US$ 100 to less than US$ 3.5.

VISION

Ruit joined with a few people who shared his vision to start the Tilganga Eye Center on June 7, 1994, but due to opposition by the establishment who considered the technique too risky, they virtually operated underground for six months. His efficient model of eye care is now practiced in many parts of the world, with U.S. military surgeons being scheduled to be trained under Ruit as well. Ruit also credits his wife, an ophthalmic nurse whom he married in 1987, as being a pillar of strength to him in his difficult days while pursuing his dream project of Tilganga.

For those unable to reach the center, or who live in otherwise isolated rural areas, Ruit and his team set up mobile eye camps, often utilizing tents, classrooms, and even animal stables to serve as makeshift operating rooms. The hospital also produces the advanced lenses that are needed for treating cataracts or myopia, exporting them to more than 30 countries around the world.

Dr Sanduk Ruit is many things. He’s a skilled ophthalmologist who can perform a cataract surgery in under five minutes, he’s a man with a vision, a humanitarian and a lifelong friend and partner of The Foundation.

While he’s at the top of his field today, Dr Ruit came from very humble beginnings. He was born in Olangchungola, a remote village in Eastern Nepal. The closest school was a week’s walk away and there was no health care. His sister’s sad death of tuberculosis when he was 17, a preventable and treatable disease, motivated him to become a doctor.

While Dr Ruit was working on the Nepal Blindness Survey in the 80s, he met a bold and straight-talking Aussie ophthalmologist called Fred Hollows. They became fast friends and Fred soon became his mentor. Over many nights drinking and talking about the world, both men quickly realised they shared the same vision: to bring affordable eye care and modern cataract surgery to people living in Nepal and other developing countries.

In 1987-88, Dr Ruit came to Australia to live and train with Fred. At that time, intraocular lenses were thought to be too expensive, risky and difficult for treating cataract blindness in developing countries. But Dr Ruit and Fred wanted to change this.And they did.That year, Dr Ruit, Fred and Gabi Hollows, plus some friends and colleagues started the Nepal Eye Program Australia (NEPA) – which joined The Fred Hollows Foundation fold when it was founded in 1992.

When Dr Ruit returned to Nepal, fundraising from NEPA and The Fred Hollows Foundation helped establish the Tilganga Eye Centre in Kathmandu. It was officially opened in 1994, a year after Fred died.

The vision Dr Ruit and Fred had of affordable eye care and modern surgery in Nepal came true. And their dream is still very much alive today. The eye centre continues to help restore sight to some of the poorest people in Nepal and provides relief in emergencies like the recent devastating earthquakes. And, it’s still led by the legendary Dr Ruit.