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!”
For Venkatamma, seeing clearly was something she’d 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!
