CNN
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YouTube star MrBeast Makes the world more visible – to at least 1,000 people.
the The creator’s latest gimmick He pays for cataract removal for 1,000 people who were blind or semi-blind but could not afford the surgery.
“We’re treating the blindness of a thousand people,” MrBeast — real name Jimmy Donaldson — says in Saturday’s video, which has more than 32 million views as of Sunday afternoon.
The video features touching before and after shots of patients with clear vision after surgery. The YouTuber also gave cash donations and other gifts to some of the participants.
Jeff Levinson Ophthalmologist and surgeon, with Donaldson to perform the first round of surgeries in Jacksonville, Florida. Levinson coordinated The Gift of Sight For more than 20 years, providing free cataract surgery to patients who are uninsured and blind due to cataracts.
“Half of the world’s blind people need a 10-minute surgery,” Levinson says in the video, referring to cataract surgery.
Levinson explained to CNN that he became inspired to help people access cataract surgery after undergoing cataract surgery.
“In the days and weeks after my cataract operation, I was amazed at how bright, beautiful, and alive the world was,” he said. “But I was shocked by the thought that there are hundreds of millions, maybe 200 million people around the world who are blind or nearly blind because of cataracts and who can’t have surgery.”
Levinson got a call from a member of Donaldson’s team in September. “I had never heard of MrBeast,” he said. “So I almost hung up. But I thankfully didn’t hang up.”
They began contacting homeless shelters and free clinics to create a list of patients in the Jacksonville area who needed cataract surgery but could not afford it. In the end, they had a group of 40 patients — and Levinson did all the surgeries in one day, starting at 7 a.m. and finishing at 6 p.m.
Patients were “in disbelief that someone would actually seek them out to save them from blindness, and then have the kindness and generosity of spirit to offer surgery,” Levinson said.
The ophthalmologist also connected Donaldson’s team with him see international, who holds the position of Chief Medical Officer. The nonprofit provides free eye care around the world to patients in need. The organization has helped Donaldson reach more patients, with a total of 1,000 surgeries done in about three weeks. The video shows patients undergoing surgery in Jamaica, Honduras, Namibia, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam and Kenya.
Levinson said he hopes the video and Donaldson’s generosity will inspire “a concerted effort to end needless blindness.”
“If MrBeast can start a fire, if we can get government and private support behind it, we can end half of the blindness in the world,” he said. “Without all of this prohibitive cost, and with incredible gains in human productivity and human potential.”
