Sightsavers works in more than 30 of the world’s poorest countries to help blind people see, prevent others from going blind, and support people to live independently if their sight can’t be restored.
This World Sight Day, 9 October, Sightsavers launched its biggest ever appeal 'A Million Miracles' which aims to raise enough money over three years to fund one million sight-saving surgeries, for blinding eye conditions such as cataract.
See how you can save someone's sight.
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€36 can make a blind person see again
Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of avoidable blindness, with an estimated 20 million people suffering from the condition. Cataracts cause the eye’s lens to gradually cloud over, until sufferers eventually go blind.
The cost of one adult operation is just €36 but as 90% of the people who are blind are living in poverty, the chance of treatment can often seem impossible. When someone in the developing world becomes visually impaired or blind, it not only affects them but also impacts their entire family and community. However, there is hope. For just €36, you can save someone’s sight and completely transform their life.
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A Million Miracles launched this month with an exciting world first
Sightsavers’ live broadcast ’See the Miracle’ was an opportunity for people to watch, via the internet, the first ever live broadcast of a cataract operation, from rural Malawi.
We had hoped viewers would also be able to witness live the moment Mr. Winesi March’s bandages were removed, however a power cut in the hospital on World Sight Day prevented our second live broadcast from taking place. Frequent power cuts are a reality of working in the developing world. For us, the important thing was that while we could not see him on World Sight Day, we shared the joy that he could see again.
Winesi had been losing his sight to cataracts for more than a decade and had been completely blind for the last two years. Being blind forced him out of work and greatly diminished his independence forcing him to rely on his family for even his most basic needs. As a father, farmer and the primary breadwinner, his blindness meant Winesi’s whole family had fallen deeper into poverty. Winesi found these worries and his loss of independence crushing.
It is amazing to think that an operation that took only 10 minutes and can cost so little, changed everything. You can observe Winesi’s life-changing and amazing journey form blindness to sight here.
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#SeeTheMiracle
Read about Enoch’s story ...
Enoch, who lives in Ghana, was just two years old when he developed cataracts in both eyes, leaving him with severely diminished sight. With his vision blurred he couldn’t even take a few steps on his own.
At just two years of age, Enoch had already been touched by tragedy.
Enoch lost his mother just days after birth. With no father to speak of, he was left in his grandparents’ care. Enoch’s grandmother scrapes a living by working in the local market.
The dark, dusty market was no place for a small baby – yet Enoch’s grandmother had no choice. She had to keep him strapped to her back for hours every day. Enoch’s health and development soon began to deteriorate. The dust meant he was repeatedly ill with chest infections. All of these problems were compounded by his rapidly diminishing sight. Instead of being full of life and curiosity like most children at the age of two, Enoch was close to losing his sight for good.
A cataract operation saved Enoch’s sight before he lost it forever.
Enoch’s grandparents brought him to Sightsavers’ Eastern Region eye care project in Ghana, where one of the doctors performed surgery to remove the cataracts from his eyes. The results were instantaneous. Enoch could see.
By supporting Sightsavers' A Million Miracles appeal, you can help ensure children like Enoch get the treatment they need before it's too late.
After starting a life in darkness, Enoch can now look forward to a better future. It costs €56 to save the sight of a child blinded by cataracts. Cataract operations for children are more costly than that of adults due to the complicated nature of the surgery. Children require general anaesthetic and the medical supplies cost more.
Childhood cataracts should be operated on as soon as possible, as early surgery increases the likelihood of better vision. Without rapid intervention there is a risk of irreversible visual impairment and blindness. Sightsavers is in a race against time for the many children just like Enoch who, without this intervention, may never be able to see.
You can make a blind child see. Please donate to the Sightsavers' A Million Miracles appeal today and give the miracle of sight to a child like Enoch.
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For over 60 years Sightsavers has worked in some of the world’s poorest countries to eliminate avoidable blindness and support people with visual impairments to live independently. For every €1 we receive (including donated supplies) 94.5c is spent on our vital work. Sightsavers is committed to the highest standards of transparency, governance and accountability.