Closed to the world for thousands of years, the Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang is a last refuge of traditional Tibetan Buddhist way of life – and one of the highest incidences of eye cataracts, due to the intense UV radiation at the high altitudes of the Himalayas. In a place without even basic medical care, where many people are still pastoral nomads living in desert camps and relying on their herds to survive, blindness can spell disaster, poverty, and even death.