When I first met Mary*, she told me how she had been blind since 2012. She had started losing her vision when she was very young – when she was a new bride and expecting her first child. Living in a rural area, far from any hospitals, she went to a traditional healer for help but continued to lose her sight. People whispered that she must have been doing witchcraft that backfired on her… asking what else could explain blindness in someone so young. Believing the witchcraft rumours, Mary’s husband left her before the baby was born. Her family abandoned her too. The only person who helped Mary was her niece, who has been supporting her and her child all this time.

When the niece heard that Operation Eyesight was offering free eye exams, she brought Mary to a surgical camp we were hosting. After all her years of alienation, Mary had little confidence in getting her sight restored, but she agreed to a checkup in hopes that it would reduce the eye pain she was experiencing. The team diagnosed her with bilateral cataracts and recommended surgery, which she agreed to.

I went to check on her in hospital shortly after her bandages came off. I was initially disappointed because she kept saying, “No, I can’t see you. I can't see anything.” Worried something had gone wrong with the operation, I called her over to see the doctor, when she finally said, “Actually… I can see you, but I’ve been blind for so long, I thought I was imagining you! I’ve been able to see you the whole time.”

She erupted into laughter, then tears. Her niece joined in.

We escorted her home by public bus, and the whole time she was pointing and smiling at things she saw rushing by through the window. She said her greatest excitement was seeing the face of her daughter – now 12 years-old – as soon as she got home.

*name has been changed to protect the patient’s privacy

Four-year-old Priyansh’s story begins in March 2023 when his father, Raj, noticed a strange glow in his little boy’s eyes. It was an observation that would end up saving Priyansh’s life.

Raj and his wife, Ramya, acted quickly and took Priyansh to a local doctor who diagnosed him with a tumor. After more consultations, the family was advised to get treatment at the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer was made possible by the generous gift of an anonymous Canadian family, and through our longtime collaboration with the renowned eye hospital. Since 2015, the Institute has provided comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both adults and children. It is one of just a handful of centres in the world that specializes in this type of treatment.

Once he arrived at the Institute, Pryiansh was examined by an ophthalmologist who diagnosed him with fourth-grade retinoblastoma, a severe form of eye cancer that largely affects very young children.

With the level of danger the cancer presented, the doctor recommended that the affected eye be surgically removed. Although heartbroken by the diagnosis, the family knew surgery was their only hope to save their son. The operation was a success, and Priyansh’s outlook improved, but the journey was far from over. Following the surgery, Priyansh underwent grueling chemotherapy sessions to make sure there were no remaining cancer cells. The little boy was left weakened and frail, but kept his spirits up during treatment.

Due to the demands of Priyansh’s treatment, Raj, who works as a taxi driver, had to take time off work. In order to help free the family from the financial burden caused by Priyansh’s diagnosis, the L V Prasad Eye Institute was able to offer the treatment completely free of charge, allowing the family to focus on recovery.

Today, Priyansh is stable, and his parents are extremely grateful for the care he received.

To date, the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer has identified and treated 18,515 patients for eye cancer.

With special thanks to the L V Prasad Eye Institute, who originally reported this story.

In November 2024, Kris Kelm joined us as our new Global Director of International Programs. Based in Ottawa, Kris brings with him years of experience and connections in the eye health and development sectors, which will serve him well as he leads our program teams, builds new partnerships, and oversees our government and stakeholder relations.

Like many in the development sector, Kris didn’t set out to work in philanthropy – he just sort of fell into it. He had been working at EssilorLuxottica, a producer of ophthalmic lenses and eyeglasses, when a chance meeting with the director of the company’s new philanthropic arm got him involved in charitable efforts. After a few years of running pilot projects, he found himself accepting a new position within the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation Canada.

“It just resonated with me, to have that level of impact on improving somebody’s life by being able to provide better vision,” he says.

Now, he is working to prevent blindness and restore sight across the globe.

Since joining Operation Eyesight, he’s helped lead us through our involvement in the passage of Bill C-284 in Canada, a project he’d already been engaged with in his previous role. The Bill will enact the establishment of a national strategy for eye care.

Kris points out that given our 60-year history of bringing eye care to remote, rural and underserved communities, we can speak credibly on how we might approach things here at home.

On a recent trip to see some of our projects in Ghana and Zambia, Kris reflected on the insights that Canadian policymakers can take from some of our countries of work.

“Canada’s behind, in a sense, in our recognition of vision health as a priority,” he says., “I think we can learn as a country from the other nations that have come before us in prioritizing vision care nationally.”

Learn more about Bill C-284.

Horibala, from the village of Godashimla, Bangladesh, likes to keep busy. The 65-year-old finds joy and motivation in her favourite pastimes: sewing and travel.

But for years, she was unable to enjoy these activities as her eyes clouded over with cataracts.

“I couldn’t see at all,” she recalls. “Even when I closed one eye to see anything, it was blurry. I felt helpless.”

As her eyesight faded, she found herself depending on others for almost everything. Simple tasks like washing clothes, making a meal or even lighting the cooking stove were impossible.

Things turned around for Horibala after a visit from an optometrist from the Madarganj Vision Centre, run by our partners at Symbiosis International, who was doing a door-to-door survey. The optometrist referred Horibala to our partner institute, the Dr. K. Zaman BNSB Eye Hospital in the nearby city of Mymensingh, for bilateral cataract surgery.

Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, her sight was finally restored.

The medication she received at her follow-up appointments relieved the discomfort of watery eyes after surgery. Soon, she regained her ability to see.

“Now, I can do everything. There’s a big difference between being able to see and not seeing at all,” she says. “For the past year, I’ve been able to work, sew and even travel. My life feels normal again.”

Now overflowing with gratitude for her regained sight, Horibala acts as an advocate in her community, encouraging people to take care of their eyes.

“I tell everyone: if you have an eye problem, don’t wait. Go to this hospital and get treated immediately. Being able to see again is priceless!”

Donate today to help more people like Horibala see clearly again!

As a community health volunteer, 28-year-old Faizunnahar spends her days bringing primary eye health care to the doorsteps of families who live in her area. She enjoys her job, but she knows that not everyone in her community approves of her work. In rural Bangladesh, where Faizunnahar lives, job opportunities for women are often limited by societal norms, and those who step outside of traditional roles often face criticism.

Nevertheless, with her family’s support, the young volunteer persists. She loves making an impact in her community, and she is proud to contribute to the family finances through the monthly stipend she earns. She is determined to build a better life for herself, her family and their young son.

Working with our partner organization, Symbiosis International, Faizunnahar goes door to door in nearby communities doing preliminary eye screenings and referring those with vision problems to the nearby Madarganj Vision Centre.

As a child, Faizunnahar remembers her father struggling with an eye problem. To get it treated, he had to travel from their village of Ruknai to the capital city Dhaka, nearly 200 kilometres away. His difficulties in getting treatment for his vision problems stayed with her and would later inspire her to seek out work in the healthcare sector.

When she first heard about the opportunity to become a community health volunteer, Faizunnahar worked quickly to reach out to a contact and put together a resume. After writing an exam, she was excited to learn she got the job. Since then, she has worked in maternal, newborn and child health, as well as primary eye care, for which we provided the training. She is proud of her achievements and says her greatest joy comes from knowing that her work is helping transform lives.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the thousands of women like Faizunnahar who are breaking barriers to help us deliver essential eye health care at the community level. As community health workers/volunteers, they have an opportunity to become leaders in their communities and act as catalysts for positive health outcomes. This employment improves their ability to become active participants in their family’s socioeconomic stability.

You can help support our mission to achieve gender equality in eye health care by sharing this post with friends and family, by learning more about the issues or by making a donation.

For Venkatamma in Karnataka, India, one of the most astounding things about getting her vision back is being able to keep track of time again.

“You can’t imagine what it’s like to look at the clock in the morning,” the 65-year-old grandmother says with a laugh, “and to be able to tell the time!”

Seeing clearly was something Venkatamma had been missing for many years. Her vision, always poor, took a turn for the worse when she was in her fifties. By the time she was diagnosed with cataracts, she could barely make out shapes or colours.

Venkatamma’s cataracts were first diagnosed by a community health volunteer who was doing a door-to-door eye health survey in her village. Initially, she was resistant to the idea of getting surgery as she worried that the financial burden would be too great for her family. But after she learned that the operations would be performed free of charge, she decided to go ahead with surgery.

Venkatamma was thrilled with the transformation. “It was like being reborn,” she says. “I can look outside and see a couple hundred feet away, from leaves on the tree to birds’ nests.”

Now that she can see clearly, Venkatamma is happy that she can spend quality time with her grandchildren and help around the house once again.

Please donate today so that more grandmothers like Venkatamma can regain their independence!

Eight-year-old Richmond, who lives in Ajumako Ashiem, Ghana, enjoys playing outside, just like any other boy his age. But until recently, things were much harder for the primary school student.

Before getting cataract surgery, Richmond had a hard time seeing clearly and missed a lot of school because of fatigue caused by eye strain. His parents said he was listless and spent a lot of time inside the house.  Fortunately for young Richmond, help was on the way.

His school was one of dozens in the area included in a school eye health program that we are implementing in partnership with Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service. A visiting optometrist quickly diagnosed Richmond with a cataract, and he was referred for surgery at St. Barnabas Family Clinic in Greater Accra, where he was treated free of charge, thanks to the generosity of donors like you.

Dora Ruth Assan is the School Health Education Programs Coordinator for Richmond’s district. She says she hears a lot of stories about children who are transformed by eye care. “A lot of them, because they were having challenges with their sight, they were not happy to be at school. When there’s outdoor games, they don’t participate,” says Assan. “But now, because they were screened, and they realized they are having challenges, they were educated on what to do.”  She adds that school enrolment has improved overall since they introduced school eye health screenings.

As for young Richmond, he is just happy to be attending school regularly and playing with his friends once again. His parents say they are grateful for the help he received.

Please donate today to help provide eye health care services for more children like Richmond. Thank you for your support!

For the past three decades, 68-year-old Meleniah has enjoyed doing bead work, a hobby she says brings her comfort. She lives with her husband in Chepaktet, a village in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya, where she raises tree seedlings for a living. She supplements her income by selling her bead work.

When she was forced to put away her needle and thread due to poor eyesight, Meleniah thought her heart might break. She says she felt a lot of stress when she could no longer see to thread a needle, but she didn’t tell anyone about her eye problems because she worried one of her family members would quit work to take care of her. Besides, she figured her poor vision was simply a result of old age.

Eventually, Meleniah’s husband, having previously undergone cataract surgery himself, realized what was going on. He invited one of their granddaughters into the home to help with cooking and housework.

When a community health promoter arrived on their doorstep in January, Meleniah was assessed and told she too had cataracts. They referred her to our partner, the Iten County Referral Hospital, where she was diagnosed and underwent cataract surgery on both eyes. The treatment was provided free of charge, as had her husband’s operations, thanks to the generosity of our donors.

Meleniah recovered quickly, and soon she was back at it – beading late into the night, thrilled she could do the delicate needlework once again.

When Meleniah’s village was declared as Avoidable-Blindness Free, she was there to tell her story and to encourage everyone to seek treatment when they have eye problems.

Always the saleswoman, Meleniah had another motivation for speaking out that day. She brought along some of her fancy work and set up a table, happily selling her beaded gourds, bracelets, necklaces and keychains to neighbours attending the event.

Meleniah is grateful to donors like you for helping to bring the joy of beading back into her life!

Garage sales, bake sales and bottle collecting – these are just some of the ways that Gwendolen Crowe, and her husband John, raised money for Operation Eyesight during their many years as donors.

Although both are no longer with us, their legacy of giving continues today. When Gwendolen passed in 2020, she left our organization a generous gift in her will. It was a decision she and John, who passed away in 2019, had thoughtfully made together.

Born in Leicester in the United Kingdom in 1931, Gwendolen (or Gwen, to her friends) was known for her lively spirit and love of performing. She and John moved to Canada in 1957, settling in Vancouver where she became a mainstay in the area’s theatre scene, acting, singing and directing for various theatre companies, all while working full time at CIBC and later at the BC Children’s Hospital. One of her favourite roles was dressing up as Mrs. Claus, with John playing Santa, for the kids at Vancouver’s Ronald McDonald House.

“She liked to laugh, she liked to bring joy to people,” says Gwen’s close friend, Jane Marynowski. “And I think this whole thing about her charities that she was so attached to, was she knew she was bringing joy to other people’s lives. That was important to her.”

In her late sixties, Gwen took a trip to India to see some of our projects in person. She travelled with Marilyn Gullison, daughter of Dr. Ben Gullison, whose work in India inspired our founder Art Jenkyns to start Operation Eyesight.

Although she was already a world traveller, the trip had a profound effect on Gwen.

“I think she found travelling in India to be a little different than her usual travels,” says Jane, who heard a lot of stories about that trip from Gwen, even decades later. “I think that really strengthened this attitude of gratefulness that she had. What she saw over there really did have an impact.”

Today, Gwen and John continue to make their own impact on people across the globe with their generous final gift, which will help us prevent blindness and restore sight for years to come. We are grateful to Gwen and John for their thoughtful, loyal support over the years!

Have you ever considered making a donation in your will? Learn more about Legacy Giving.

The northeast Indian state of Meghalaya is known for its hilly terrain and rainy weather. While that makes for excellent tea-growing conditions, it also means that roads are often rugged, muddy and difficult to navigate.   

For residents of remote communities, getting from the village into the city for healthcare can be challenging at the best of times.

It’s especially difficult for those experiencing vision loss.

Now, thanks to a new 14-seat TATA Winger Van, residents in the state’s South Garo Hills have better access to eye health care. The vehicle is bringing health care workers to the area’s most remote villages to deliver eye screenings and referrals, and to transport patients who need further diagnosis or treatment to the Patharkhmah Community Health Centre.

Operation Eyesight’s Dr. Ritu Ghosh handed over the keys to the vehicle to Dr Sapna Dey, State Program Manager, NPCB & VI, with Mr. Ram Kumar, MD NHM of the Government of Meghalaya in February, and the patient transport vehicle is now serving communities in the region.

Thanks to Dan Parlow, member of the Operation Eyesight Canada Board of Directors, for the donation that made this patient transport vehicle possible!