Documentary chronicles ophthalmologist Dr. Marc Lieberman

Two Tibetans – Karma and Lhasang – have one last chance at restored sight. They make the arduous journey to a remote clinic in the hopes of having their sight restored by Tibetan doctors, who have received technology and skill training through the Tibetan Vision Project. Filmmaker Isaac Solotaroff’s feature documentary Visioning Tibet chronicles the passion of ophthalmologist Lieberman and his mission. He hopes to end preventable blindness in Tibet by 2020, through Karma and Lhasang’s stories.

In the 1980s, Lieberman became involved in Buddhist meditation and practice. He organised a series of meetings between The Dalai Lama and Jewish scholars and rabbis, during which time he learned of the cataract blindness crisis in Tibet. Lieberman founded the non-governmental organization (NGO) Tibet Vision Project in 1995. For the past 10 years, Lieberman has made biannual month-long trips to Tibet, leading a team of doctors, nurses and technicians he has trained. Together, they run eye camps “that provide basic eye care and perform up to 120 cataract operations in four days”. To date, the project has restored sight to more than 3,000 Tibetans.

Lieberman’s work has been recognised by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which named him 2003 Humanitarian of the Year.

Visioning Tibet was screened as part of "Reel Point of View" program at the Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) in Boulevard.