BRADFORD eye surgeon Izzy Mahomed is getting set for a fact-finding trip to Sudan to help save refugees' sight.

Mr Mahomed, who is a consultant at the Optegra Yorkshire Eye Hospital in Harrogate Road, Greengates, will fly out with Mercy Mission Uk to North Africa on March 15 for five days to visit camps home to more than 200,000 refugees.

So far he has raised more than £2,000 on his Justgiving page to help take food out to hungry families but he also plans to use his visit to check out medical facilities which he says are almost non-existent in the camps.

Mr Mahomed, 52, who was born in South Africa, hopes to return to the UK to set up more fundraising and sponsorship so he can go back to the refugee camps to carry out cataract surgery.

"This trip is mainly about getting food out there. I've committed myself to helping feed ten families for the year, it's about £400 each," he said.

But he added: "While I'm there I will be looking at what medical facilities there are in the camp although I've been told they are almost non-existent. If there are any medical emergencies, patients are left to die because there is no equipment to save them.

"I will particularly be looking at what I could do to help. I would go back to do cataract surgery if I can get the sponsorship to do it and may be able to take equipment that hospitals in our country don't need any more.

"I've carried out cataract surgery off trucks in other parts of Africa before so I could do it there."

He is also hoping he will get some support from Optegra to help make a real difference to refugees' lives.

Mr Mahomed had pledged when he reached 50 that he would devote more time to charity work.

"I'd been talking to people who were involved in charity work and I'd an expressed an interest," he said.

"They contacted me to say they were going to Sudan and would I join them. It was always my intention when I got to 50 that I would do more charity work in Africa so I said 'yes'.

"These refugees in the North East of Sudan are some of the poorest people in the world, they are third and fourth generation refugees.

!he cost of supporting a family is now £400 for the year. If anyone can either take on one of those families or just contribute toward one, every pound counts.

"I have a target of securing funding for ten families as part of my trip. I hope people will help me reach that!"

To make a donation go to justgiving.com/offtosudan