So when Junmoni, a handloom weaver, started having trouble with her vision, she knew her livelihood was in peril.

The mother of two lives in Chakala, a village near the Brahmaputra River in Assam, northeast India. Her husband works as a day labourer, which offers little financial stability. As a result, Junmoni’s weaving is the family’s primary source of income.

As her vision faltered, Junmoni was producing less and less cloth. She worried about the fates of her two children, nine-year-old Sarna and 13-year-old Sanjib. Her hope of keeping them in school and sending them off to higher education dwindled as the family’s situation became more and more precarious. She even considered selling off her weaving equipment to bring some money into the household.

A knock on the door changed everything for her.

Earlier this year, an Operation Eyesight community health worker showed up at Junmoni’s doorstep as part of a community-wide screening program. After Junmoni described her vision problems, she was referred to a free screening camp happening in her neighbourhood. Without needing to leave her village, Junmoni was diagnosed with near vision, and received a pair of free prescription eyeglasses.

She marvels at the difference a pair of eyeglasses can make. “It’s exciting how a small thing can change the world,” she says.

Today, she is back at her handloom supporting her family, her dreams of sending young Sarna and Sanjib off to college once again intact.

The post Vision restored, hope renewed for mother in India appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

It’s the start of a new year, and for many of us, that means making resolutions like going to the gym, developing a new hobby, learning a new language, or finding meaningful birthday gifts for all the people you care about.

We know how stressful it can be to not only keep track of everyone’s birthdays, but to find meaningful gifts for everyone.

We’re glad to say that we have the solution for you!

Our Gift Guide is the answer to all your birthday troubles. Our Gift Guide gifts make it easy to honour your loved one with a meaningful tribute gift by sending them a beautiful print card or eCard with a personalized message, while making a charitable donation to give someone in need the Gift of Sight.

A tribute gift is a unique way to celebrate not just a birthday, but also an engagement or other special occasion. So if you were worried about what to give your loved ones this year, worry no more.

Did you know about our following gift options? There are selections to fit every budget.

Our $20 gift, which you can give in the name of someone you care about, could provide new prescription eyeglasses for up to three people, bringing their lives into focus.

For $50 you can honour your loved one while providing someone in need with a cataract surgery and restoring their sight.

You could honour a loved one with a gift of $100, which could provide training for eye care professionals, who can then go on to help people living with avoidable blindness for years to come!

And these are just a few of the options we offer. To see all our gift options, just head over to our Gift Guide and choose your favourite.

If you have any questions, or if you prefer to order your gifts over the phone, please call us toll-free at 1-800-585-8265.

Thank you so much for your support! With every tribute gift you make, you’ll be putting a smile on the face of your loved one and giving the Gift of Sight to someone in need… For All The World To See!

The post Not sure what to get your loved ones for their birthdays this year? Worry no more! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

I sympathize. The year really has flown by, and GivingTuesday is only two weeks away! Many of our supporters have already made donations, and we can’t thank you enough.

By now, you may know that four out of five cases of blindness or low vision are treatable or even preventable. Many of the people we help simply need a pair of prescription eyeglasses to improve their vision – and their chances for a better life.

So put yourself in their shoes: what if you couldn’t afford to buy eyeglasses — or even pay for an eye exam? What if you didn’t have access to quality eye care at all?

Sadly, that’s the reality for many children, women and men in developing countries. They suffer from “low vision,” which means their eyesight is so limited that they see only dim shapes. They are virtually blind – yet their families are so poor that they can’t afford to visit an eye hospital or pay for eyeglasses. (And that’s assuming eye care services are even available where they live!)

It’s very sad, isn’t it? But take heart – many of the people we help simply need a pair of prescription eyeglasses to improve their vision – and their chances for a better life.

And here’s the best news of all: For only $20, you can provide up to three people with life-changing prescription eyeglasses! Your generous donation can bring three people’s worlds into focus! By raising $25,000, we can help up to 3,750 see their futures in focus!

It’s true! Prescriptions vary in cost somewhat, but in general, we can provide new, custom-fitted eyeglasses for up to three people for only $20.

Please donate to our GivingTuesday page today – and help us give thousands of children, women and men a chance to see a brighter future. They simply won’t have one without you!

The post You can’t buy happiness… but you can provide eyeglasses! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Lordia is a 13-year-old girl who lives in Ghana. Her parents are poor, so they wanted to ensure their daughter’s future through her education.

But a couple years ago, her future looked bleak. When Lordia was 11, her teacher told her parents she was having trouble keeping up with her classmates because of her poor eyesight.

Not wanting their daughter to fall too far behind, her parents enrolled her at a school for the blind. However, it wasn’t long before the headmistress noticed that the young girl wasn’t blind at all! Concerned, she spoke to Lordia’s parents, telling them that their daughter required medical attention for her eyes.

Being from a devoutly religious family, Lordia’s parents resorted to prayer instead. For two years, Lordia lived with low vision, but no amount of prayer seemed to help their child’s eyes. Imagine the distress Lordia and her family must have felt! They were afraid her future would never improve.

One day, when Lordia and her family were attending a prayer service, they met someone who recommended Operation Eyesight’s partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services. Although Lordia’s parents were initially reluctant, her mother had seen a TV commercial funded by Operation Eyesight’s partner Seeing is Believing on the importance of eye health. Desperate to help their daughter, they took her to Watborg Eye Services.

And that’s when Lordia’s life turned around! At Watborg, she was examined and then given a pair of brand new prescription eyeglasses – at no cost to her family!

Lordia can now see and her parents can hardly contain their joy! Her father is especially grateful to Operation Eyesight and our donors for changing his daughter’s life.

“I’m so happy that professional eye care services are available to me and my family. I won’t waste any time in going to Watborg Eye Services should anyone in my family require eye health care in the future!”

There are hundreds of thousands of children like Lordia who live with impaired vision, and they need your help! You can help them by donating today!

The post New eyeglasses restore a little girl’s future! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.