"I felt so happy that I could see everything"

Around 8,000 children have already had their sight restored through this successful campaign, enabling children to attend school and make progress towards achieving higher education.

By the end of the year it is hoped a further 2,000 children will have had their sight restored, eliminating the 10,000 backlog cases of cataract amongst children in Bangladesh. While new cases will continue to be identified each year, in addressing the backlog the program also helps to build a robust eye health system that can deal with ongoing incidence quickly – effectively treating the condition before it leads to long term blindness.

One young woman who has already achieved great things since having her sight restored through the campaign is 16 year old Kaniz Fatema from the village of Goalgoan, Comilla district.

Fatema tells us in her own words what it was like being blind as a child and how her life has changed since her sight was restored. Fatema was so grateful and inspired by her own experience that she is now training to work in the eye care sector.

"When I was 12, I started to gradually lose body weight and appetite. I also noticed that I had difficulties with my eyesight. I could not see objects or my surroundings clearly. I told my father of my suffering.  

He is a local medicine practitioner and he gave me some herbs for a few months, but they did not help.

By the time I was 13, I was in grade eight at a secondary school. I was very interested in continuing my education, but I had a lot of difficulty in preparing for my lessons and seeing the blackboard. I told my parents and teachers of my problems.

My teachers advised my father to take me for treatment. But my father could not take me to see an ophthalmologist due to our family's financial hardship.

I was frustrated as I could imagine the consequences of blindness. I was thinking, 'what would happen if I became blind for my entire life?' I left school soon after. 

I continued to lose weight and became weak. I just used to sit idly in the house.

One day, my uncle came to our house and told my father that a medical team from the Comilla Eye Hospital will come to Mathurapur, which is very near to our village, to screen people with eye problems and to provide services free of cost. He wanted to take me to a screening camp. 

I went to the screening camp in December 2006, where I was examined by an ophthalmologist and was diagnosed with bilateral cataract. I was told that cataract could be cured through surgery and the hospital would provide free surgeries.

My uncle then took me to the Comilla Eye Hospital that same day where my diagnosis was confirmed. I also underwent further tests which found that I was also suffering from diabetes. My diabetes was brought under control by insulin.

I had a first operation on my left eye on December 09, 2006. I felt so happy that I could see everything. I was very eager for the second eye to be operated but the problem was to purchase insulin on a regular basis. 

Knowing our financial constraints, Dr Zobaida Hannan, the Honorary Secretary General of this hospital, came forward to help me in getting insulin free of cost. This made my second operation possible and I had it done in 2007.

As advised by the doctors I attended the hospital a few times for follow-up checks. To further improve my vision, I was prescribed spectacles. Now I do not have any problem with my eyes. My family and I are very happy.

After regaining my sight I started my education in earnest. My teachers were very pleased to see me back at school and helped me a lot. I sat a secondary school certificate examination in 2009 and passed it with a grade of 3.5 out of highest grade 5.

Upon finishing my school education, I wanted to engage in a profession through which I would be able to help sufferers of eye diseases. I joined the Comilla Eye Hospital as a trainee and managed to get a scholarship towards a two-year course in ophthalmic nursing at the Bangladesh Institute of Community Ophthalmology at Comilla. I started the course in June 2009."