What if you were told by a respected family friend that wearing eyeglasses would cause your child to go blind? Imagine your shock and fear!
That was the situation faced by Hannah Quayson, a widow living in Kasoa, Central region, Ghana. Hannah works at a local convenience store to support her six children. After her husband’s death three years ago, she received a dire warning from a prophetess and friend of the family: Hannah’s youngest child, Ekow, then 11 years old, would go blind if he continued to wear the eyeglasses he had been prescribed since he was two years old. Not knowing any different, poor Hannah believed the prophetess and prevented her son from wearing his eyeglasses.
Now 14 years old, Ekow’s life changed dramatically. He had been one of the best students in his class, but without his glasses, he couldn’t see the chalkboard and couldn’t read. His teacher tried to get him to sit at the front of the classroom, but – typical of adolescent boys – Ekow insisted on sitting in the back row. His marks fell quickly.
Fortunately, luck smiled on Ekow last year, when the outreach team from Operation Eyesight’s Watborg Eye Services visited his school for a regular school eye screening. Ekow was diagnosed with abnormally low vision, yet the refractive procedure was able to bring his vision to normal.
The outreach workers were even able to convince Hannah that her son would not go blind with the new eyeglasses. Now, thanks to his brand-new, custom fitted prescription glasses, Ekow is able to see clearly for the first time in years!
Ekow, his mother and the school are grateful to our donors for your unyielding commitment to the elimination of avoidable blindness. Thank you!
For just $20, you can provide others with prescription eyeglasses, too. See our Gift Guide to learn more.