Last summer, Vinit and his wife Anchal learned that their baby girls were born with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). Together, the family has faced a challenging journey, witnessing the incredible growth and resilience of their precious daughters.  

ROP is a serious eye condition that affects premature and low-birthweight infants and is the primary cause of childhood blindness in this demographic. Vinit and Anchal know just how frightening ROP can be. 

In June 2022, during her seventh month of pregnancy, Anchal gave birth to twin girls in Moradabad, India. Both babies weighed just three pounds and were breathing rapidly. They were rushed and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive treatment for lung infections.  

While in the NICU, the doctor treating the girls recommended that they both undergo screening for ROP at the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute, our partner hospital in Moradabad. Following the screening, both girls were diagnosed with severe cases of ROP. 

Vinit and Anchal had never heard of ROP before, nor did they have any idea how severe the condition can be. They feared their children wouldn’t be able to see. After the girls’ diagnoses, the doctor guided Vinit and Anchal through the screening process and showed them images of their daughters’ conditions. 

There are five stages of ROP and treatment no longer works in the last two stages, ultimately resulting in childhood blindness. However, if identified and screened within one month of pre-term birth, ROP in stage three is completely treatable. This is why early detection is critical. 

From the outside, nothing appeared wrong. However, when Vinit looked at the screens, he saw the severity of ROP. Both Ayan’s and Vyan’s screens showed blood leaking inside their eyes. The doctor explained to the parents that if the girls didn’t receive timely treatment, they would have further complications and possibly lose their vision.  

At just five weeks old, both babies received treatment at the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute. They underwent injections in both eyes, followed by laser treatment later on. Now, Vinit and Anchal take their daughters for regular monthly checkups at the hospital. 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the early diagnosis and treatment provided by local doctors, both girls have fully recovered and are thriving today. 

Vinit and Anchal are grateful to Operation Eyesight and the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute. “Every parent hopes the best for their baby and that they are well and grow properly,” explains Vinit. “The hospital has made things very easy. Otherwise, there would be no life without eyesight.” 

We began addressing ROP three years ago in the Moradabad District of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. A local team now regularly visits 40 maternity centres in the area to examine preterm newborns, and the screening programs are working.  

As of June 2023, the program, known as “Born Too Soon”, has screened 253 premature babies, of which 49 were diagnosed with ROP and provided treatment. That is 49 infants who have had their sight preserved thanks to early intervention.  

You can help expand our Born Too Soon program and ensure more families like Vinit’s experience a life free of avoidable blindness.

Please donate today. 

The post Double victory: Twin sisters overcome Retinopathy of Prematurity appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

The whole family depends on Hira’s son, who works as a labourer to make enough for them to get by. To help out, Hira gardens and sews clothing for the family, while taking care of her two granddaughters.

She was happy she could contribute at home, but she was able to help less and less over time, as her vision dimmed. She felt like there was some invisible film over her eyes that she couldn’t blink away, and it only got worse. Two years later, she was completely blind.

“I was too afraid to seek treatment,” says Hira. “My sister had cataract surgery done that left her blind, and she died blind. I was so afraid the same thing would happen to me.”

But our donors made it possible to help Hira through her fear.

Two community health workers arrived at Hira’s home and screened her eyes. They explained that her condition could be treated, and they counselled her on the procedures that would restore her sight. Then they referred her to an Operation Eyesight-established vision centre for examination.

Though she was afraid, Hira did go to the vision centre, where she was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts. She was then referred to Nepal Eye Hospital for surgery.

Hira still wasn’t convinced. “I was so afraid, but the community health workers introduced me to an older man who had received sight-restoring cataract surgery himself. His story calmed me, and finally I felt brave enough to get treated.”

Now, thanks to the support of eye health heroes like YOU, Hira’s sight has been restored!

“I am very happy about the treatment I received! Now I can do my daily activities on my own. My family can concentrate on their work, and I can help them when they need me.” 

Hira is now an eye health advocate in her own community! She is so grateful to the community health workers and the doctor who helped her regain her sight.

And most of all, she’s grateful to kind people like you who made it all possible!

Thank you so much for helping people like Hira get their lives back through the precious gift of sight! There are still thousands more women like Hira who need your help. Donate today and become an eye health hero.

The post From fearful blindness to joyous sight appeared first on Operation Eyesight.