Joan Taylor and Gerry Wright of Campbell River, B.C. had no idea what awaited them when Joan opened the Winter 2013 edition of our SightLines newsletter. On the back page was the opportunity to check off a huge bucket list item – walking the El Camino de Santiago in Spain.

“Here were two things I love dearly: Operation Eyesight and the El Camino. I thought, ‘we have to do this.’” explains Joan. “Timing wise it wasn’t all that great because it was less than two weeks after we get back from another holiday, but sometimes in life you just have to do it!”

Joan has been an Operation Eyesight supporter for about 11 years, and has a very personal connection to our mission. Her mother suffered from vision loss due to macular degeneration, so she knows how difficult it can be to manage without vision. Not only that, Joan manages a long-term care facility and works with people who struggle every day because they have lost their eyesight.

“My mom and I were extremely close,” explains Joan. “When she turned 80, my siblings and I decided to give five people the gift of sight from Operation Eyesight in mom’s honour.”

Joan continues: “She was so touched that she cried every time she told somebody about the gifts. She couldn’t get over how you could change someone’s life for such a small amount of money. I was hooked on Operation Eyesight after that.”

As for the El Camino Race for a Reason, it was a perfect solution for Joan and Gerry. They had been hoping to do it – especially after seeing Martin Sheen’s movie “The Way” – but the 30 to 45 days it takes to do the entire trail was daunting. Our 10-day trek was the answer!

To prepare, Joan and Gerry train every day. “It’s not easy! When you’re done work at 5 p.m. and it’s blowing and howling and pouring freezing rain, training is a challenge. But, so what?” laughs Joan. “It’s a great cause and we’re really happy to do it.”

They’ve also tapped their networks to raise the donation portion of the trip. And it’s paid off – they’ve already surpassed their fundraising goal more than two months before the deadline! Joan explains, “Nothing like working under pressure! It’s really touching to see the people who have stepped forward to support. I can’t tell you how deeply touched we are.”

Joan and Gerry’s El Camino adventure has just begun, so check back for updates. And they aren’t the only Operation Eyesight supporters getting ready for a Race for a Reason. Stay tuned for more inspirational stories of adventure and camaraderie in the coming weeks!

The post Adventure awaits on the El Camino journey appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

I feel it’s important to speak about Art’s legacy every chance we get, and the anniversary of his passing is such an opportunity. He is, for us, a touchstone of what our work is about.

Art was inspired by the work of Dr. Ben Gullison, a Canadian physician working in India. Ben wanted to provide “the best for the poorest” – an idea that continues to energize Operation Eyesight. It certainly energized Art.

Back in 1963, when Ben asked if anyone would help him raise money to restore sight to India’s blind, Art and his friends in Calgary eagerly stepped forward. Operation Eyesight was created, and over the years many people have come and gone. But it was Art who continued stepping forward, across Canada and then across the globe with a message of healing for the blind.

It was a simple yet powerful message that boiled down to this: “We have the means and responsibility to help these people. We know there is a simple procedure to correct cataract blindness and we have an obligation as human beings to help our fellow man. We need to do this!”

Art was a businessman, not an eye doctor, yet he spoke accurately about the conditions that cause blindness and the means to cure or prevent it. But his gift was his passion – he was deeply moved by the plight of people already struggling with poverty who would then become blind. He was able to share his passion, and he was eager to speak to any person or group willing to hear him.

As a result, millions of dollars have come from generous donors over the years, and millions of people (yes, millions) have received treatment who would not have otherwise. It is a remarkable accomplishment, and so much of the credit goes to Art and his simple message.

Today, millions more need the same kind of help. However, these people are especially hard to reach; either due to geography or due to understanding. In the spirit of Art Jenkyns, Operation Eyesight continues to step forward in our efforts to reach everyone in danger of blindness and low vision. If this inspires you, please act on it without delay.

Art says thanks.

The post Art Jenkyns’ simple message appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Eyes are also fragile. I know this from experience when I had some serious eye problems a few years ago. I found it ironic that I – the president of an eye care organization – should be in danger of losing my sight. For that moment in time, I wasn’t a lot different from the millions of people who are threatened by vision loss. I suddenly knew exactly how they must feel.

But I had options – I could do something about my eyes, while most of those people can’t. When the lights go out for them, that’s it.  And of course, that’s why Operation Eyesight is hard at work.

World Sight Day is a good thing. It provides an opportunity to think about the unthinkable, which is the prospect of going through life in the dark. Think about this:

• Worldwide there are 39 million people who are blind.
• On top of that there are 245 million who are visually impaired simply because of uncorrected refractive error or the need for a pair of prescription glasses. Not seeing much is almost as bad as seeing nothing at all.
• Many sightless people (mostly who live in developing countries) are blind simply because they are poor.
• As much as 75 percent of the world’s current blindness wouldn’t happen if there was a basic health care system that included eye care.
• Much of blindness could be prevented with clean water, early detection and medical treatment when necessary.

If you need more reasons to care, here’s a heads up. On World Sight Day, go to our website where we’ll be premiering a new two-minute video. It’s quite different from any video we’ve ever done, so watch for it – it will be right on our home page.

One other thing. People often have questions about Africa and India and the challenges these regions face. We’ve been gathering some of those questions, and we’ll use next week’s blog post to answer some of them. If you have a question, simply leave a comment with this post. Thanks for reading!

The post October 13 – just another day? appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

As an organization that works with people with terrible eye problems, Operation Eyesight feels strongly about blindness prevention. We are motivated by the fact that many eye problems occur because of late diagnosis. That’s a big issue in remote parts of Africa and India where eye specialists are scarce. But here in Canada where I live, even though we’re well-served in the areas of optometry and ophthalmology, we still have to be careful.

One group that has to pay special attention are seniors, simply because of age-related issues like cataract and macular degeneration. I wrote a post about this back in August.

But younger people, it has been suggested, are also vulnerable to eye damage. With the widespread use of video games and mobile phones that have small screens, kids are subjecting themselves to tremendous eye strain. If you’re in regular contact with kids, watch for symptoms like headaches, fatigue and difficulty focusing.

But some kinds of eye damage don’t have obvious symptoms, which is why regular eye exams are so important.

Here’s what the Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends for eye exams:

• Infants and toddlers by age six months
• Preschool children at age three, and prior to entering elementary school
• School age children (six to 19 years) annually
• Adults (20 to 64 years) every one to two years
• Older adults (65 years and older) annually

These are some things I’d like you to keep in mind as you look after your own and your family’s health. As we continue support people in India and Africa who are threatened by blindness and low vision, we can’t forget that our own eyes need attention as well.

*Each October, the Eye Health Council of Canada hosts Eye Health Canada Month, a national public awareness campaign highlighting the importance of eye health and routine eye examinations. The Eye Health Council of Canada, a partnership between the fields of ophthalmology and optometry, is the national public education division of the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

The post Parents – don’t overlook your kids’ eye health appeared first on Operation Eyesight.