Losing one’s eyesight can be a negative, life-changing experience. The sufferer may have to stop working – failing to support the family financially – and may find that independent daily life becomes impossible. While some causes of blindness are incurable, relief in other cases is neither complicated nor beyond most people’s financial reach.
The condition called cataracts is a good example. The growth of a cataract in one’s eye may result in impaired vision, but it is treatable, and many Capetonians benefit from the surgery available, returning to their previous functioning lives.
But, cataracts are devastating for people from impoverished rural communities, who do not have access to private healthcare or medical aid. “The resulting blindness is obviously a terrible outcome for the person with the cataracts,” explains Dalit Shekel, CEO of local NGO, Relate, which was founded by Capetonian, Lauren Gillis. “It also has a ripple effect on other family members. For instance, cataracts most commonly affect older people. When the person can no longer function effectively because of impaired vision, another family member may have to stop going to school or return from a job elsewhere to become a caregiver to the affected person. This has tragic consequences in terms of family income and unfulfilled ambitions.
Quality eye care is seldom accessible in rural South Africa and, as Dalit points out, over 80% of rural South Africans have never had an eye examination. In addition, knowledge about the causes of blindness is poor among this cohort of people; as a result, many people who could quite easily obtain treatment for their sight problems remain, literally, in the dark.
It is against this backdrop that Relate has partnered with two organisations to make a positive impact on those whose lives have been so negatively affected by blindness. Blind Loyalty raises funds to help provide ophthalmology procedures to vulnerable patients, and Grace Vision conducts the surgeries and provides follow-up care, ensuring the highest standards of medical practice.
Recent months saw Relate partner with the two organisations to bring much-needed relief to almost 50 visually-impaired rural residents of the Eastern Cape. The strategy behind these interventions was to provide operations and save the vision of those who need it through lower cost eye interventions. The ophthalmologists involved have developed procedures that have slashed the costs of the surgery. “For people who have not been able to see for years, the procedure to remove their cataracts is life-changing,” says Dalit.
“Watching the faces of those who could see for the first time in years was an emotional rollercoaster. The joy, dancing, and newfound hope in their eyes reminded us of the profound impact we can have on one another’s lives,” Dalit concludes.
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