Mexico City, April 30, 2025.- With the goal of bringing specialized, safe, accessible, and high-quality ophthalmic surgical care to patients in Tlapa, Guerrero, as well as in neighboring states such as Oaxaca and Morelos; volunteers from the Universidad Panamericana the +MAS Foundation held the 26th Cataract Surgery Conference.
This campaign has focused on the treatment of cataracts, the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, which can only be treated surgically, thereby making a significant impact in the region. Furthermore, the improvement in visual acuity following surgery has a profound effect on patients’ quality of life.
Impact in Numbers: Surgical Care That Transforms Lives
Since the start of these events, 394 volunteers—including doctors, nurses, and medical interns from the Universidad Panamericana—have participated in these medical campaigns.
During the 2025 event, 46 volunteers participated, and 60 surgeries were performed each day over three consecutive days. In 2024, 172 families benefited, demonstrating the growth and consolidation of this social eye health project.
About the Cataract Surgery Conference
The Cataract Surgery Conference began in 1993 as an annual charity camp organized by Dr. Jorge Alberto Castro, founder and executive director of +MAS – Medicina y Asistencia Social, A.C.
University students and international volunteers have participated in the project, motivated by the extreme poverty in Tlapa de Comonfort, one of the poorest municipalities in the country. The lack of health services and the detection of child malnutrition spurred support for the community.
Since then, volunteers have been returning in the summer (for three months) and in the winter (for one month) to provide assistance. With each outreach effort, the goal has been to involve more medical specialists and volunteers in the region.
In 1997, thanks to the support of Dr. Juan Ignacio Babayán, an ophthalmologist and founder of the Mexican College of Glaucoma, A.C., resident physicians and ophthalmology specialists were brought together. After identifying the high incidence of cataracts and taking advantage of the fact that the surgery is relatively quick, they began performing the procedures, thereby improving the quality of life for the patients treated.
Universidad Panamericana's social commitment
The Universidad Panamericana made it possible to recruit MPSS students interested in volunteering for this campaign. In general, the university has collaborated with the Department of Medicine and Social Work by sending its interns to perform their social service at the +MAS Clinic.
This partnership serves as an example of how higher education can contribute to improving public health, health equity, and direct care for underserved populations.
Through these initiatives, the Universidad Panamericana its commitment to the well-being of vulnerable populations and to training healthcare professionals dedicated to building a better Mexico.
Learn more about Universidad Panamericana at: https://www.up.edu.mx/sobre-la-universidad-fundamentos-y-valores/
