The person with the most subscribers on YouTube just cured the blindness of 1,000 people by paying for their simple eye surgery.
Jimmy Donaldson, a 24-year-old known online by his nickname MrBeast, posted a video detailing the scores of people across the United States and around the world whose severe cataracts he had removed with the help of the nonprofit eye care organization See.
MrBeast also gave away $10,000 to a number of patients, bought one a Tesla and even donated $50,000 to someone else’s college fund. He also donated $100,000 to See.
Donaldson is known for his offbeat stunt videos – in which he is buried alive for 50 hours, and another in which the last person to take their hand off a private jet gets to keep the plane. Not only is he the most-subscribed person on YouTube, but he’s also one of the highest-earning people on the site.
Jimmy Donaldson, a 24-year-old acquaintance, is better known by his internet name MrBeast
The second person that MrBeast provided the surgery for. He helped heal 998 others
In the video, MrBeast shows patients having their bandages removed after surgery and shows their reaction. For many of them, it was the first time they had seen properly in decades.
One patient was a man named Charlie whose vision prevented him from continuing to work. After the surgery, Charlie can see again and MrBeast gives him $10,000.
“I just haven’t been me for the last 62 years,” says one patient in the video to MrBeast, “I can actually see your face.”
Another man said the first thing he wanted to see when his bandages were removed was his son, who he says was his “rock” during his vision problems.
“Seeing him, seeing his face, you know, that’s what I miss the most,” he said.
As soon as he came out of the operation, his son was there and the two hugged in tears.
“I can see all the features now,” he said, wiping away a tear. “It’s a little blurry when my tears come out.”
MrBeast stands with a crowd of his people whose vision he has healed in his latest video
Patients underwent phacoemulsification, an operation that uses a vacuum to remove cataracts
Once the cataract is removed from the eye, an artificial lens is put in to replace it
The surgery used in the video appeared to be phacoemulsification, one of the procedures Sees specializes in.
During the procedure, the doctor makes a small incision in the eye and suctions out the eye’s clouded cataract lens, and then inserts a new artificial lens.
People with severe cataracts aren’t completely blind—they can still see light—but their vision can be so blurry that the basic shapes of objects can’t be made out.
Phacoemulsification can cost up to $6,000 for patients without insurance.
Another patient of MrBeasts is a boy named Jeremiah who has been blind in his right eye since birth
Jeremiah received $50,000 for his college education after his surgery
Born partially blind, Satchel always wanted to drive but couldn’t
After a successful operation, MrBeast presented Satchel with a brand new Tesla
What is phacoemulsification?
Phacoemulsification is cataract surgery in which a millimeter-wide incision is made in the lens of the eye.
The material that clouds the eye and obstructs vision is then sucked out with a small vacuum.
An artificial lens is then placed in the eye.
Another patient of MrBeasts is a boy named Jeremiah who has been blind in his right eye since birth. The cataracts he was born with prevented the eye from ever seeing light, meaning the surgery was only 50 percent successful, MrBeast explained in the video.
Jeremiah broke down in tears after removing his bandages and finding the surgery worked, and then MrBeast presented him with a check for $50,000 to put towards his tuition.
“I don’t even think that’s real, like I’m waiting to wake up,” he said.
MrBeast also featured a teenager named Satchel who was partially blind from birth and lost almost all of his sight in a go-kart accident.
“Everything I see is like blur and color, I can barely make out the shapes,” Satchel explained.
He told MrBeast that he could never drive because of his eyesight and that’s why he was stuck at home.
At the end of the video, after the surgery was successful, MrBeast gave Jeremiah a Tesla.
MrBeast also brought the surgery to patients from countries around the world
The countries visited were Namibia, Mexico, Honduras, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya and Jamaica
MrBeast and See also took their surgery around the world to heal the sight of people from Namibia, Mexico, Honduras, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya and Jamaica.
On his website, See explained that cataracts affect about 65.2 million people around the world and that in 80 percent of those cases, the vision loss can be moderate to severe.
Procedures for curing cataracts like the one described by MrBeast are relatively simple, but 99 percent of the world does not have access to medical care and services to treat the condition.