The following post was written by my wife, Valerie, during a recent trip to Ghana with The Millennium Village Project and the Himalayan Cataract Project.

The patients waiting for cataract surgery were dignified, stoic, and silent. Many had endured hot and uncomfortable journeys to come and stand in the long line outside the clinic. Yet they waited, patient and uncomplaining, at each stage of the process: first to be screened, then to be prepared for their operation, later to stay overnight, and, the next morning, the exciting moment when their bandages were removed. Those minutes, when they realized they could see again, seemed to be as thrilling for the surgeons as for the patients and their families.

Michael and I went to Ghana to photograph two cataract camps, at which people from remote areas, with little or no access to health care, are able to have free cataract surgery. It was a powerful lesson in what can be achieved under challenging conditions.