As of December 2018, over 3,500 people were awaiting cataract surgeries in the Hambantota District of Sri Lanka, mainly due to the shortage of government-issued lenses. The SSIO of Sri Lanka took the initiative to perform cataract surgeries for needy patients who needed surgery but could not afford to buy lenses. During December 2018, SSIO volunteers supplied nearly 200 lenses and arranged for the surgeries to be performed at the general hospital in Hambantota.