HOHHOT, March 11 -- A program to prevent avoidable blindness was launched by Standard Chartered Bank (China) and the Fred Hollows Foundation in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday, sources with Standard Chartered Bank (China) said Tuesday.

With investment of over 7.4 million yuan (1.2 million U.S. dollars), the program, part of Standard Chartered's global community project called "Seeing is believing," will last three years and three months and work to cure treatable blindness in the region.

The program has chosen eight hospitals across the region as partner institutions. It will help train eye surgeons, perform cataract surgeries as well as provide eye health care services in rural areas, the sources said.

Statistics from the regional health and family planning commission showed that there are about 100,900 blind people and 245,000 low-vision patients in Inner Mongolia. About half of blindness cases are caused by cataracts.

The Fred Hollows Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Australia, focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems.