Simple eye surgery to restore sight to Ethiopians

This World Sight Day we ask you to share our story about Daniel from Ethiopia. A young boy of 13 who, thanks to your support, was able to return to school and receive the education that every child deserves.  

For three years Daniel had been suffering with pain in his eyes. Daniel’s Dad took him to the local Orbis-supported health centre. He was examined and diagnosed with the latter stages of trachoma, where the eyelids turn inwards and the lashes scratch the eyeball, resulting in pain, discomfort and often permanent blindness.

Initially Daniel resisted treatment as he was scared and so his situation got worse, forcing him to drop out of school.

With the persuasion of an Orbis-trained community health worker he finally agreed to undergo surgery. His surgery was a success and immediately his thoughts turned to going back to school. He says: “I got my vision back, along with my hope.”

For many of us eye care is a given, but for so many it is sadly out of reach.

By donating just €6 you will allow Orbis to perform more surgeries on more children just like Daniel. You can also support our work by sharing Daniel's story on Facebook, Twitter or by Email.

Before ORBIS’s intervention into regions of southern Ethiopia, blind or visually impaired children like Abush Gudeta had little hope of regaining their sight.

Suffering from trichiasis, a blinding complication of trachoma in which the eyelids turn inward and eyelashes rake across the eye’s surface, Abush endured horrific pain and discomfort for almost two years. He ultimately struggled at school and was unable to assist with simple household chores.   

His parents met a neighbour who had recently received trichiasis surgery as part of an ORBIS program. They recommended that they take Abush to see the eye care workers that were scheduled to return to their local health centre in the coming weeks.

When the time came, Abush and his mother walked several miles to the health centre, where an ORBIS-trained eye care worker performed the simple 20 minute procedure on Abush. Thanks to this straightforward procedure, Abush’s pain was relieved and his vision preserved.

In this remote part of Ethiopia, where primary care service is almost non-existent, ORBIS is bringing hope to thousands of children like Abush. With your support we can continue to conduct numerous outreach programmes to conduct these simple surgeries.  

ORBIS is implementing the World Health Organisation’s “SAFE” strategy, which is designed to prevent and control trachoma through conducting sight saving Surgeries, distributing Antibiotics, educating locals on the importance of Face washing and improving the Environment.