Surgeon who fled communist China, changed lives of blind orphans is the subject of inspiring new film

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Chinese-American surgeon shares how growing up in communism shaped his view of America

Dr. Ming Wang shares about his inspiring life story as told in the new Angel Studios' film, "Sight."

A new film out Memorial Day weekend tells the inspiring real-life story of how a poor Chinese immigrant escaped communism to become a world-renowned eye surgeon in the United States.

"In 1982, with $50 and a Chinese-English dictionary in my pocket, knowing no one in this country, could hardly speak English, I came to America," Nashville-based Dr. Ming Wang told Fox News Digital. "Even though I was poor, I was happy. Why? Because I was free."

Angel Studios' biographical drama "Sight" retells how Wang endured poverty and hardships growing up in 1970s China to pursue his dream of coming to America to become a doctor. Despite his hardships, he ultimately invented a breakthrough technology that has helped restore eyesight for millions of people around the world.

Wang almost didn't even finish high school, though, because of China's Cultural Revolution. Universities were shut down for ten years and the college entrance exam was stopped. Young people were forced into labor camps or had to learn a musical instrument to join a government song-and-dance troupe. Despite these setbacks, Wang studied hard to complete three years' worth of high school curriculum in just two months after the revolution ended.

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"Sight" tells the true life story of Dr. Ming Wang [played by actor Ben Wang] and his journey from communist China during its Cultural Revolution to becoming a prolific eye surgeon in America. [Courtesy: Angel Studios]

Through determination and support from his parents, Wang eventually made it to America to study abroad at the University of Maryland, where he received his PhD in laser physics. Wang went on to get his MD at Harvard and MIT so he could become a laser eye surgeon.

Wang's experience growing up in poverty gave him a desire to help restore the sight of blind orphans around the world. He says that God inspired him to develop a new method that would help the less fortunate.

"I really wanted to help these kids, blind orphan children. And I realized the one leading cause of blindness in the third-world countries is corneal eye scarring due to trauma and infection and malnutrition," Wang told Fox News Digital. 

"They say there's no common ground between science and faith," he continued. "I myself am a Christian, and I remembered my commitment to have Christ in my life and to ask him for help when I got stuck in life. So I prayed and asked God, is there a common ground between science and faith? And in one of the prayers and many years ago, inspiration came that perhaps the way is to study the unborn child, to find out how the fetus can heal without scarring."

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Actor Terry Chen stars as Dr. Ming Wang in Angel Studios' "Sight" with actor Greg Kinnear. [Courtesy: Angel Studios]

Wang said he was driven to research the healing properties of the amniotic membrane in the amniotic sac that surrounds a fetus while in his or her mother's womb. Mothers who had given birth donated their placentas to Wang's research, which took nearly two decades to complete. Ultimately, he confirmed that the membrane did reduce scarring after injury, and he created the amniotic membrane contact lens from his work.

Because of his gratefulness to America and desire to help children who are suffering, Wang said he decided to donate his invention to the medical community. He obtained U.S. patents for innovative biotechnology and traveled to over 50 countries around the world to train doctors on using it.

"Even though in the process I did not make any money myself, I know that it's God's calling to me to utilize his inspiration. I did not invent the placenta, nor did I invent the amniotic membrane. The credit goes to God," Wang said. 

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Dr. Wang said his upbringing in communist China helped him appreciate freedoms in America. [Still of actor Ben Wang playing Ming Wang in film. Courtesy: Angel Studios]

After living under such harsh conditions in China, Wang wanted to show his gratitude to America with his invention.

"And to me as an immigrant and to my China experience, having found freedom and faith in America, that tells me, I should not only benefit from this wonderful country, the freedom, but I also have the obligation to pay back," he said.

Over the decades, the Nashville-based surgeon has performed over 55,000 eye procedures in over 55 countries. Through his foundation, he also provides free surgeries for blind orphans around the world. 

"Sight" opens on May 24.