Sight for 10,000 Poor Blind Children in Pakistan

Here is the story of 7-year-old twins Aslam and Shahira and their older brother, 9-year-old Muhammad.

They are the children of a mason, Ahmed, who is a daily wage earner and mother Rukhsana who works 3 jobs to help her husband to run the house and ensure that their children are able to go to school. Their only chance at a better future is for their children to have an education and eventually get good jobs. However, when their children started to hesitate before going to school, their parents started to get worried. Rukhsana said,’ They kept complaining about lagging behind as they could not see properly, each morning, getting them to school became a cumbersome task. Shahira would cry and her brothers would throw tantrums, but we could not afford to have them miss school."

Diagnosed with cataract at birth, the lives of all 3 children were severely impacted. Otherwise brilliant students, they started to lag behind in school due to their deteriorating vision and were on the verge of dropping out. Worried about the cost of treatment, the helpless parents were at a loss of who to turn to for help. Fortunately, they got to know about LRBT and brought their children in for a checkup. All 3 children were successfully operated upon absolutely free of cost and are now back to school. 

Thousands of children yearning for the blessing of sight come to LRBT everyday for treatment and walk out with the chance to live a fulfilling life and have a bright future. 

Eyes are the most precious of our senses, yet we often neglect their care and this negligence can lead to lifelong blindness. Little Rehmat, just 8 years old, faced such an ordeal when what started off as a simple case of itching in his left eye led to his cornea being damaged for life.

Hailing from Quetta, Rehmat’s father, Ghulam, supports the family by stitching cloth for tents. His aging father and unmarried brother also live with him in their three bedroom rented house. With five out of his nine children enrolled in school, Ghulam is overburdened with responsibilities. His brother a daily wage earner contributes what little he can towards the household expenses. A major chunk of Ghulam's income goes towards paying rent but despite their combined efforts the brothers have not been able to own a house of their own.

Rehmat is Ghulam’s middle child, since birth Rehmat has carved a special place in his family’s heart owing to his sunny disposition and friendly, helpful nature. Studying in grade one, Rehmat dreams of joining the army. Despite his young age, his vision for his future is clear. He wants to serve his country and to achieve that he strives to study hard and is already top of his class. About four months back, Rehmat’s left eye started to itch, he was constantly rubbing his eye and it started to affect his studies as he was distracted most of the time. Eventually his teacher called Ghulam to school and advised him to get Rehmat’s eye checked.

Ghulam took Rehmat to their neighborhood clinic for a checkup where he was prescribed eye drops for two weeks. The itching improved temporarily but returned after a couple of days. Someone then advised Ghulam to take Rehmat to the local hospital, where the doctor changed the eye drops but soon after Rehmat started to complain of hazy vision. Distraught and clueless as to where to go for help, Ghulam spent many a sleepless night fearing permanent damage to his son’s eye. Rehmat too became withdrawn and quiet fearing he may be losing his vision. One day he earnestly enquired from his sister that would anyone want to play with him if he was unable to see. Just two years older in age, she quickly consoled him saying a child cannot go blind. However, even at that young age Rehmat knew that there was a distinct possibility that he would not be able to live his dream of joining the army due to his hazy vision.

Rehmat’s angel in disguise came in the form of their relative who had previously been treated at LRBT. He advised Ghulam to take Rehmat to LRBT’s hospital. Ghulam was worried the fees but his relative assured him that treatment is free for those who cannot afford it. Having never experienced free treatment himself Ghulam was hesitant and delayed going till he had some money saved up, but when Rehmat was unable to see at all from his left eye he quickly rushed Rehmat to LRBT. Rehmat was examined and told he would need a corneal transplant at the earliest as his cornea had been damaged due to neglect. The corneal tissue was arranged and transplanted successfully. Rehmat is now able to see again with his left eye.

“My first reaction was fear when the doctor told me that my son would need a major surgery to replace his cornea. Just the thought of him having the surgery under anesthesia was enough to give me nightmares, but the empathy and professionalism of the doctors and staff at LRBT gave me the courage to agree to the surgery. It was the best decision of my life, the quality treatment and care that my son received has enabled him to see clearly once again. I have my happy, smiling Rehmat back and he is more determined than ever to serve his country, where institutions like LRBT exist that enable the underprivileged to live independent, fulfilling lives.” – Ghulam.

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