While joining the military seems achievable, that dream was nearly shattered for Erasmus a few years ago, when an accident threatened both his vision – and his future.

It all started one evening back in 2019. Erasmus’ mother, Joyce, was inside their home in the rural community of Essiam, in Ghana’s Central Region, when she suddenly heard shouts coming from outside, where Erasmus was playing with friends. She rushed outside and found her son clutching his eye in pain. His friends told her that something had flown through the air and hit him hard in the eye.

Initially, Joyce treated Erasmus at home with some over-the-counter eye drops, but after going to school the next day, he said he was still feeling a lot of pain. His teacher recommended Joyce take him to the hospital to get it checked out.

Joyce took him to the nearest hospital, and the doctor there referred them to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital city, Accra. He also advised her to make sure that nothing happens to Erasmus’ other eye, as he worried that the boy might lose sight entirely on the injured side – advice that shook Joyce to the core. She imagined her son’s future melting away, along with his eyesight.

As a single mother running a small hair-braiding salon, Joyce was overwhelmed by the cost and logistics of travelling to Accra. Eventually, she got some money together and they went to the hospital. A doctor examined Erasmus and told Joyce the damage to his eye was very serious and that he would need surgery.

But Joyce couldn’t afford the surgery. She tried everything – asking family for help, borrowing what she could – but it was never enough.

In the meantime, Erasmus continued to have pain and irritation and couldn’t see much out of the affected eye. Joyce, tears spilling from her own eyes as she remembers that bleak period, says she was terrified for her son and felt completely alone in dealing with the problem.

Then, in 2023, she learned that a charity had visited Erasmus’ school and had checked on the students’ eyes. She rushed down to the school and learned that Erasmus had been identified as a student in need of a referral for a more thorough diagnosis.

That eye charity was, of course, Operation Eyesight, working in tandem with the ministries of health and education, and our partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services, in Awutu Breku. Erasmus got a referral to Watborg, where he received a thorough eye exam.

Joyce learned that her son’s injury had developed into a cataract. A traumatic cataract happens when an eye injury disrupts the lens fibers – leading to a clouding of the lens. Up to 1.6 million people lose sight to eye injuries each year.

Erasmus was scheduled for surgery in two weeks’ time. And although Joyce was told that the surgery would be provided free of charge, she couldn’t quite believe it and continued to worry about the costs.

Two weeks later, Joyce and Erasmus returned to Watborg for the cataract surgery. Doctors told her the operation went well, and they kept Erasmus in hospital for another couple days to allow the eye to heal.

To Joyce’s relief, she learned that the surgery was in fact done free of charge, made possible through our School Eye Health Project supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Charities. The project covered all other expenses, including transportation, meals, the hospital stay and post-surgical appointments.

Due to the complexity of Erasmus’ injury, it would take him additional time to recover than most cataract patients. For weeks after the operation, Joyce anxiously asked, “Can you see yet?” The answer was always no — until one day, Erasmus burst into her salon shouting, “Ma, I can see! I can see!”

Erasmus now wears prescription glasses to school, his future once again in focus. Joyce, deeply moved, says she’s forever grateful to Operation Eyesight and our partners for restoring her son’s sight, and her hope.

The post “Ma, I Can See!”: A Ghanaian boy’s journey from injury to clear vision appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

One day, his mom, Samanta, sent him outside to sweep the compound, but he came back complaining that he couldn’t locate the broom. When she went to look for herself, she saw the broom lying on the porch in plain sight and realized there was something wrong with Isaac’s eyesight.

As a single mom, Samanta works hard as a trader in the marketplace in their village of Oponso, in Ghana’s Central Region. She knew that an eye exam, and any subsequent treatments, would be out of her budget.

Hope arrived during an eye health screening at Isaac’s school, where staff identified his eye condition. His younger sister, five-year-old Grace, also got a referral for further examination. The school eye health screening was made possible through our partnerships with Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service and funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Child Blindness Program.

The program trains community health nurses and school employees to perform basic eye screenings. Students requiring follow-up receive referrals to the nearest hospital. Because of the increased efficiency, entire schools – students and teachers alike – can be screened in a fraction of the time it would take otherwise.

Samanta brought the two children to our partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services, in nearby Accra, and both received diagnoses for cataracts. They were quickly scheduled in for surgery, which was provided free of charge.

Three weeks later, our program staff caught up with Samanta, who was thrilled with her children’s progress, now that they are free from cataracts. She says little Grace now spends more time outside playing with her friends. As for Isaac, he once again helps around the house, happy that his future is back in focus.

With story and photo files from Isaac Owusu Baffoe

This story was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Operation Eyesight Canada and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

The post Siblings’ cataracts diagnosed, thanks to school screening appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Their challenging life became a living nightmare when they realized their son Anil could not see! Ravi and Laxmi didn’t know where to go or what to do to improve Anil’s eyesight. They believed it was the will of God and decided to leave it to fate.

As fate would have it, a community eye health worker named Dhanalaxmi visited the family’s home. Dhanalaxmi was going door-to-door as part of a Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program being implemented by Operation Eyesight’s partner, St. Gregorios Balagram Eye Hospital. She examined Anil and diagnosed him with congenital bilateral cataracts, meaning his blinding condition had been present at birth.

Dhanalaxmi counselled the family and encouraged them to visit the hospital. At first, Anil’s parents were hesitant to go as they were worried about the high cost of treatment. But after being reassured that the surgery would be provided free-of-charge, they took Anil to the hospital.

Dr. Ravi Kumar, an ophthalmologist, confirmed Anil’s diagnosis and referred the family to the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad, which hosts the nearest pediatric surgical eye care unit. Accompanied by Dhanalaxmi, the family made the 60 km trip to LVPEI where Anil underwent cataract surgery in both eyes within a span of a few days – all at no cost to his parents, thanks to the support of Operation Eyesight’s generous donors!

Ravi and Laxmi were overwhelmed with gratitude that Anil had regained his vision and that the treatment had been provided free-of-charge. “God has come to us through Dhanalaxmi,” says Laxmi. “We never thought miracles were possible. We thank both hospitals and all the staff who took such good care of our son.”

Thank you to our wonderful donors who are providing sight-restoring surgery so that children like Anil and others can finally see!

The post For this little boy, miracles do happen appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Never did Bonny Gideon and his wife Nagamani imagine that their future would be dependent upon the tiny hands that they held to teach baby steps.

The couple live in the village of Pangidigudem, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where Bonny works at a non-governmental organization. Both husband and wife suffer from vision-related problems: Bonny has cataract and several other eye issues, and Nagamani suffers from night blindness. Unfortunately, their conditions are irreversible.

On the advice of some friends, they have been treated at the Bob Ohlson Centre for Sight Enhancement at Operation Eyesight’s partner LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Visakhapatnam. The centre was established for rehabilitation treatment in 2006 with support from Operation Eyesight.

About six years ago, Nagamani and Bonny became proud parents of a daughter whom they named Smiley. But when they were told that their baby was also blind from cataract, their dreams came crashing down. They were devastated at the thought of their child facing the same fate that they suffered. Fortunately, local doctors, whom they consulted first, urged them to take their baby to LVPEI when she was only four months old.

When Dr. Avinash Pathengay saw the little family in the outpatient department, he stopped by to enquire about their wellbeing. When he learned that they were there not for themselves, but for their tiny daughter, he reassured the worried parents that

Smiley’s vision-related challenges were only temporary.

With their worries allayed by Dr. Avinash and the counselor, Smiley underwent surgery to remove the cataracts in her eyes. A month after surgery, she regained her vision completely. Today, at almost six years old, she is able to perform tasks similar to other children her age, and also attend school. She continues to visit the Bob Ohlson Centre for Sight Enhancement for follow-up treatment, and is a familiar sight to the staff of the centre.

“Smiley is using vision correction glasses as the doctor advised, attending school and helping her mother when she returns home,” says the happy father. “She reads the names of places and the numbers on the bus for us when we go out. She talks incessantly about the posters on the walls, and tells us about whatever is happening around us all along our way.

“She is the anchor to our lives; she is our eyes!”

Cataracts don’t discriminate; the vision-clouding condition can lead to blindness in tiny babies, children, adults and seniors alike. Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple! Learn how you can help.

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