Adriane Ohanesian’s image of a trachoma surgeon operating on a teenager in a makeshift clinic has been put forward for the Wellcome Photography Prize 2019 in the ‘Medicine in Focus’ category.
Adriane took the photo while accompanying a Sightsavers team to Nasir County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state. The team was there to perform surgery for a range of eye conditions, including cataracts and trachoma. The latter is one of the most common causes of blindness in Nasir.
Anthony Wani, director of Sightsavers’ South Sudan country office, said: “It is wonderful to hear of this nomination. We hope it will help to raise awareness of the eye health issues affecting many people in South Sudan, both in Nasir and beyond, and the lengths people go to so that those affected can reclaim their sight.”
The winner of the Wellcome Prize will be announced on 3 July, and the winning and shortlisted entries will be on show at the Lethaby Gallery in London on 4-13 July.
People in remote parts of the country often travel for days to seek medical treatment, which is why the work of Sightsavers’ outreach teams is so vital.
Read the storySightsavers will host two events and two exhibition spaces at the event in Berlin on 2-3 April, calling on attendees to join us in targeting inequality.
We’re attending the conference in Chicago on 22-26 March to share Sightsavers’ expertise, engage with the education community and explore how we can help to transform inclusive education.
The IT Bridge Academy, which supports young people with disabilities to train for a career in IT, received the accolade from technology company Cisco.
© 2025 Sightsavers. Registered in the UK as Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, charity numbers 207544 and SC038110.