Give The Gift of Sight To 312 Poor Blind Woman

LRBT is the largest free eye care for the poor and the only safety net for 20.46 million Blind and Visually Impaired (11% of the total population) in Pakistan out of which 50% are women. LRBT has recently treated 30 million patients in 30 years. A classic example of how LRBT is transforming the lives of poor girls and women is our 29 millionth patient Athar 19 and his three blind sisters who were all suffering from corneal opacity..

Athar and his 3 sisters went through the trauma of going blind as a result of corneal opacity and the cure for it was Corneal Grafting, an extremely expensive surgery that also requires a donor cornea. The four blind siblings could not afford the treatment and as a result all of them were turning blind one by one.

 A LRBT School Screening team visited the school where Athar and his younger sister studied and from there they were referred to LRBT Korangi Hospital, Karachi. When the doctors found out that two more of Athar's sisters suffer from the same problem they were also brought to the hospital and after their examination and diagnosis they were put on the waiting list of patients awaiting cornea donations. A couple of days later the lucky four were admitted as 4 corneas had been received and were successfully operated. While some vision returned a few days after surgery, it took almost 8 months before their full vision was restored. Ather is back in school now his younger sister whereas the eldest one has found a decent job in a bank. We wish them best of luck and thank you for making it possible.

We are extremely grateful to all the generous donors of Global Giving for restoring sight of 107 poor blind women in Pakistan and help them see the colours of life once again. To date LRBT has treated over 29 million patients in OPD and performed 2.9 million surgeries, 50% of them being women.

One such woman was Rakhi who belongs to a poor family living in a mud hut in Rawalpindi. Her husband passed away a couple of years ago and she lives with her sons who work as laborers and in their little income have to support their own families too.

Since past two years Rakhi’s vision was gradually decreasing. She went to a private clinic for her examination where she was diagnosed with cataract that required surgery. However, when she found out about the cost of the surgery she lost hope as there was no way she could afford it

One day, when she was sitting alone in a corner of her house, waiting for someone to help her get some food, one of her relatives came in to see her and was very upset seeing Rakhi in such a miserable state. She told her about LRBT Free Eye Hospital in Mandra where all treatment including surgeries is absolutely free for the poor.  Upon Allah Rakhi’s request she took her to the hospital the same day where after her complete examination she was given a date for surgery.

Her surgery was successfully performed totally free of cost. Rakhi could not believe her good fortune. She praised the LRBT Trust and the staff for their kind behavior and prayed for the donors without whom she could not have got her sight back. She said now she would be able to contribute towards the household chores and look after her grand children when there mother is away and would be a productive member instead of being a burden on the family.

Links:

• LRBT website
• LRBT Facebook page