How would you to like to work with corrosive chemicals if your vision was impaired? Like Janet Williams, some people make their living that way.
Janet lives in the town of Weija, Ghana, and worked at Pambros Salt Mine, the largest salt producer in western Africa. Two years ago, she started experiencing blurred vision, causing her to make mistakes and suffer accidents.
Once, she missed her step and fell into a concentrated salt solution at the mine! For her own safety, management reassigned her as an office cleaner, but she had difficulty carrying out her duties because of her poor vision. Eventually, she was let go.
Without an income, Janet found it hard to cope. She could barely see, and was unable to even cross the street because she couldn’t watch for vehicles. What future could she expect?
Fortunately, Janet learned about an Operation Eyesight partner, Ga South Municipal Hospital, where she was diagnosed with cataract in both eyes. But Janet was fearful of an operation. She accepted prescription eyeglasses to temporarily improve her vision while she decided whether to have her cataracts removed.
Finally, her mind was made up. “Though I’m afraid of eye surgery, I cannot see and there is nothing else I can do. I hope I’ll be able to see again and return to work.”
Janet’s left eye was operated on first, and six weeks later, the cataract in her right eye was removed, resulting in much-improved vision. After recovery, she told one of our staff, “I was surprised to see a lot of construction work being done in my neighbourhood. I had no clue of what was going on prior to my eye surgery!”
She hopes to return to work at the salt mine in the near future, and sends her deepest gratitude to our generous donors who helped her regain her independence. “I never thought I’d be able to see clearly again. Thank you to the doctor and all the Operation Eyesight donors who are helping the poor and needy!”
You can help more people like Janet. For only $50 – the price of a movie for two – you can provide sight-restoring cataract surgery. Learn more on our website here.