One thousand people living with vision problems around the world can see again thanks to philanthropic YouTuber Mr Beast.
The 24-year-old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, teamed up with opthalmologist and surgeon Jeff Leveson and humanitarian organisation SEE International, to cover the cost of cataract surgeries for people who can’t afford the procedure.
Sharing the process and the joyous outcomes on YouTube, Mr Beast begins his video by explaining that around 200 million people around the world live with blindness when Dr Leveson adds that half of them can be cured with a simple 10-minute surgery.
The popular YouTuber continues, “if you’re wondering how the surgery allows people to see again, it’s because the lens in their eyes is so cloudy that they can’t see through it. So the surgeon uses a tiny vacuum to suck up the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial one. The surgery is that simple! They can see again!”
During the 8-minute clip, Mr Beast shares the stories of some of the patients and how life-changing it is to have their vision restored – some can work again and receive an income to support their families, others can see their loved ones clearly for the first time or carry out tasks they’ve never been able to do before like drive a car.
And of course, being Mr Beast, he throws in a few surprises for the patients too including cash gifts of $10,000 and $50,000 as well as a brand-new Tesla for the man who’d never driven a car before!
These life-changing surgeries helped hundreds of people in the U.S. but Mr Beast adds that surgeries were also conducted in Namibia, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya and Jamaica. He also donated $100,000 to SEE International to further support their work.