One hundred poverty-stricken cataract patients in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, were offered free surgery Friday to help regain their vision.

This was one local program under the second phase of Sight First China Action, which was jointly launched in 1997 by the Chinese government and the Lion's Club International, one of the world's largest charity organizations.

The beneficiaries of the program, which aims to help needy patients, are from impoverished families in Nanjing which could not afford the surgery costing about 6,000 yuan (US$723) for both eyes. Aged from four to 90, the patients were peasants, workers or laid-off workers.

More than 20,000 cataract patients in Nanjing had recovered their eyesight after receiving help during the first phase of the Sight First China Action from 1997 to 2001.

In the second phase from 2002 to 2006, 20,000 more cataract patients in Nanjing will benefit from the optical program.

China's vision-impaired population numbers about nine million, including four million who lost their vision due to cataracts.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2003)