For many years, Alair and his wife lived happily together, earning a living to support themselves. Alair, age 70, is a religious leader in his Indian community who helps his fellow villagers through his religious teachings. His wife is a cook at a nearby tea factory.

As Alair got older, he started to experience trouble seeing. At first, he was able to continue his work, but over time his vision continued to deteriorate until he was forced to stop his religious leadership and stay at home.

As you can imagine, he was devastated! The important work he’d been doing for years was taken away from him. What would you do in his place?

Alair tried asking his sons for help, but none of them could afford the cost for the treatment their father needed.

The only choice he had was to be supported by his wife. He felt embarrassed and worried. What could he do?

Then one day an Operation Eyesight community health worker came to their village, going door-to-door screening patients for eye health issues. When she knocked on Alair’s door, she was soon able to diagnose him with cataract in both his eyes.

But at first, he despaired. “I couldn’t afford surgery! I was afraid that even if the health worker referred me to the hospital, I would be turned away because I didn’t have the money.”

Alair’s sons were also afraid for their father. They worried that the surgery might go wrong, and that their father would lose his vision completely.

But our community health worker counseled the family, assuring them that the treatment was necessary and 100 percent free of charge to them.

Still, Alair’s sons weren’t so sure. They turned the health worker away, wanting to protect their father.

Not to be deterred, the community health worker returned the next day with a patient who had received successful eye surgery to speak with Alair.

Alair was reassured. “When I spoke to this man who had the same problem as I had, I knew what I needed to do. My sons still didn’t want me to risk myself, but even with my limited vision I was useless.”

Without telling his sons, Alair stole away to be treated with cataract surgery, taking free transport offered by Operation Eyesight’s partner the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital.

And that’s when everything changed! After his surgery, Alair could see again!

He returned to his village, and though his sons were at first angry, when they saw that their father’s vision had been restored, they rejoiced!

Now Alair can see clearly in both his eyes. He’s returned to his work as a religious leader!

“I’m so grateful to have my eyesight back! I thank the hospital and all the people who made this possible for me!”

There are many other men like Alair who need our help – good men with families who are losing their independence to avoidable blindness.

But you can help! No amount is too small – Donate today and restore someone’s quality of life.

The post Mission impossible: Alair’s journey from blindness to sight appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital is privileged that it has been a partner of Operation Eyesight since the beginning. We have witnessed a lot of changes and new development in the past 30 years.

Today our hospital has grown into a super-speciality eye care institute and become the largest service provider in North Bengal. We appreciate the immense contributions Operation Eyesight has made to our institute for strengthening systems, human resources, infrastructure, comprehensive community-based eye care, patient satisfactions and overall quality of our service delivery.

Despite our progress, blindness remains a huge challenge in this part of India. However, today as a partner of Operation Eyesight, we are much stronger to take on this challenge.

-Kamalesh Guha

CEO, Greater Lions Eye Hospital, India

Ever since we joined partnership with Operation Eyesight, the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Zone has achieved a lot in the eye care sector. Operation Eyesight’s assistance to MTRH zone has made us the envy of ophthalmic fraternity in Kenya!

We therefore thank Operation Eyesight and hope that our partnership will continue to prosper and provide eye care to the less fortunate in our beloved country.

-Dr. J.W. Odede

Programme Manager, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

My relationship with Operation Eyesight goes back to 2001 when we set up this hospital in a small village in one of the poorest areas of Andhra Pradesh. I can say that without Operation Eyesight’s support the project would never have taken off. The support we have received from Operation Eyesight since then is remarkable and the relationship continues. We are now implementing an ambitious hospital-based community eye health care programme covering a population of 150,000 in 76 villages around the hospital with Operation Eyesight, which we expect to go a long way in making this hospital self sufficient.

I wish you all the best for your future endeavours and hope that we will have a continued successful relationship.

-Isaac Thomas

Project Coordinator, St. Gregorios Balagram Eye Hospital, India

Thank you for being our partner since 2004. Your organization has made us what we are today!  From a mere unit in the department of surgery to a department, and a centre of excellence for eye care in Zambia.

Some of our achievements and successes include human resource development, including primary eye care and ophthalmic nursing training, the enhancement of patient care through equipment and infrastructure improvements, the provision of consumables for cataract surgery, and commencement of a master’s programme in ophthalmology, made possible due to the ground work and foundation to which Operation Eyesight as contributed.

-Dr. Grace Mutati

University Teaching Hospital, Zambia

Keep an eye out for more letters of congratulations in the weeks to come. If you would like to learn more about our history, please click here.

The post Kind words from our hospital partners appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

A community health worker from Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital’s community eye health program –which is supported by Operation Eyesight donors – visited Sachin’s home and recommended that he be examined at the local eye clinic that was being held in his community. There, he learned that he had cataracts in both eyes. Siliguri hospital transported him to and from the hospital and performed surgery on both his eyes—all at no charge to him.

Surgery has changed Sachin’s life. Not only is he back at work, his daughter is back at school and he’s a vocal advocate for the community eye health program. He promotes and regularly attends the clinics in his area. He also brings patients to get the benefits he received!

Sachin has a special message for our donors: “I thank all the people who helped me get my vision back. I wish you all the success for your future.”

Operation Eyesight piloted the model for our innovative hospital-based community eye health program at Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital starting in 2010. Because of this pilot’s success and that of two others, the program was implemented at 9 additional partner hospitals in India. The Siliguri program is focused on providing care to people in the Rajganj block in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

The post Back to work and back to school! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Together with my colleagues Lynda Cherry and Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, I travelled to the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital in northern India.  This hospital was established in 1983 by the local Lions Club and its members comprise the trustees of the hospital. I believe it has been an Operation Eyesight partner hospital since that time.

The hospital in Siliguri was one of the original 41 that accepted Operation Eyesight’s challenge to improve their performance and the quality of their surgery. Like most of the hospitals they made reasonable progress towards that goal, but seemed to stall a couple of years ago. Since his appointment as our Senior Director India Programs, Kashinath has met with all our India partners to review their progress against the original evaluation and recommendations made by the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVP). Kash (as we call him) and his team were able to work with the staff of the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital to help them move forward again and this hospital is now an outstanding success.

Just to detail that success, compared to typical “charity” hospitals in India (and not including government hospitals which are in appalling condition with very low productivity) the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital was spotlessly clean and very well maintained. It was quiet and orderly – many such hospitals are crowded, chaotic, noisy and difficult to negotiate through. Waiting rooms in the hospital are well organized, patients move smoothly through the consultation process and treatment areas.

The Board of Directors and management have recognized the need for well-trained and motivated staff at every level. They have instituted everything from training and quality review programs to award programs, and they recognize exceptional employees. The hospital is also implementing an electronic admissions and record system. The ophthalmologists* are passionate and dedicated, and the management and Board have a long term vision and plan for the hospital which is not typical. In fact, they have been invited by the government of Bhutan to help establish eye care services there too, which is severely lacking in that country.

The Indian state of Sikkim, to the north, is also keen to partner with the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital on the same basis. The hospital is in discussion with Operation Eyesight India to develop plans for Sikkim and Bhutan. Kash, Lynda and I paid a site visit to Sikkim for that purpose.

The Siliguri hospital, through the Lions Club, has been successful at augmenting revenue through fundraising. At this point, Operation Eyesight only needs to support for the Community Eye Health Program which will also become sustainable. The hospital itself is 130% cost recovery on fee revenue, which is excellent.

I also want to touch briefly on another hospital I am very impressed with. In 2006, Operation Eyesight funded the construction of a new home for the Siloam Eye Hospital. Previously in a rented facility, this hospital gained a brand new building and a new identity as an LVP satellite hospital. I opened it with Dr. G.N. Rao, founder of LVP, in 2007. The Siloam Eye Hospital is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh about a two and a half hour drive from Bangalore. It is a poor rural area where agriculture is the primary industry, including the production of mulberry bushes which feed the silk worm industry. Dr. Shoba Naveen, the Medical Director, is an extremely competent ophthalmologist. Again the hospital is fully financially sustainable and quality outcomes are the priority.

I am confident in saying, and it is important to note, that Operation Eyesight partner hospitals in India can compete with any private hospital in India when it comes to physical facility presentation, financial sustainability and, most importantly, quality outcomes. And further, Operation Eyesight requires that all partner hospitals provide optical services including free eye glasses to anyone who cannot afford to pay. This is an outstanding success for us. We have accomplished this through the comprehensive development and change management support and strategies led by Lynda, facilitated by the Operation Eyesight India team and with the very important partnership of the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad which is our global training resource.

*Ophthalmology is the branch of medical science that studies the eyes, their diseases and defects. Ophthalmologists are eye specialists that are able to perform many procedures, such as eye surgery.

The post Travels through India reveal great progress appeared first on Operation Eyesight.