In 1984 , a gas leak in Bhopal , India , killed up to 8,000 people and temporarily blinded many more . The RCSB was the first relief to arrive and a UK disaster appeal was launched to fund the construction of a new eye hospital to treat the injured . In 1987 , Blue Peter launched its ‘ Sight Savers ’ appeal , raising over £ 2 million for eye care across Africa , and RCSB subsequently adopted the title Sightsavers . The same year , pharmaceutical company Merck released Mectizan ® , trade name for Ivermectin , a drug which killed the blindness-causing stage of the worms that cause onchocerciasis . Sightsavers could now begin a preventative distribution programme
a gas leak in Bhopal , India
Bhopal disaster
Sightsavers