Our Purpose

Elza Retina Welfare Organization (ERWO)

Restoring Vision. Rebuilding Lives. Ending Preventable Blindness.

Blindness affects far more than sight. It impacts a person’s independence, dignity, livelihood, and future. Across Pakistan, countless individuals lose their vision not because treatment is unavailable, but because it is financially out of reach. A treatable retinal disease becomes lifelong blindness. A simple cataract leads to years of darkness. Many diabetic patients go unscreened until it is too late.

ERWO exists to change this. We believe that sight is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right..

About ERWO

Our Foundation and Purpose

Elza Retina Welfare Organization was founded in 2017 by Dr Muhammad Mukhtar Ahmed, a pioneer of retinal surgery in Pakistan. With over five decades of service in ophthalmology, Dr Mukhtar witnessed the devastating consequences of untreated retinal conditions:

• Men and women losing their independence due to preventable blindness
• Elderly patients living in avoidable darkness
• Diabetic patients losing vision simply due to unaffordable injections

Motivated by a deep sense of responsibility, Dr Mukhtar transitioned from private practice to humanitarian service. He established ERWO with a mission that remains unwavering:

To provide world-class retinal and ophthalmic care, free for those who cannot afford it, and affordable for everyone else.

The organisation is named in honour of his wife, Elza, whose own visual challenges inspired this vision of compassion and service.