When she was just five years old, Ruth, pictured above, starting having problems with her eyesight. By the time she was 12, she could neither read nor write. Her teacher moved her to the front of the classroom, but she still couldn’t read the chalkboard.
“I felt really bad because I had to repeat classes and still couldn’t read and write. My classmates always laughed at me because of it,” Ruth said.
And perhaps worst of all, there seemed to be no hope for her future — no chance that her life would ever improve. She lives with her parents and five brothers and sisters in a tiny house in a remote village in Kenya. With the family’s meagre income going to feed, clothe and educate the children, there was little left to pay hospital fees for Ruth to have her eyes treated.
And then a miracle happened. And Ruth’s life changed forever!
Operation Eyesight’s partner clinic held a mobile eye screening camp in Ruth’s village. There, Ruth was screened by an ophthalmic nurse and diagnosed with cataract in both eyes. Soon afterwards, Ruth received cataract surgeries – all at no cost to the struggling family, thanks to Operation Eyesight’s donors.
Sadly, there are millions of other children who are struggling to see. The good news: in 80 percent of cases, their vision loss can be prevented or cured. But first they need access to affordable eye care!
The first step to fixing this problem is to put your support behind the right to see.
Please take action today if you believe that every child, woman and man has the right to see a world free of avoidable blindness.
