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Life is very different for Esther now she can see again. She©s pleased to be able to cook for her family! © Sarah Elliott

Life is very different for Esther now she can see again. She©s pleased to be able to cook for her family! © Sarah Elliott

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Back in the kitchen

Esther Wanjiru, from Mbagathi district in Nairobi, Kenya, is 85 years old. She was indentified as having a visual impairment at an outreach clinic. Further assessment at the Mbagathi District Hospital where she was referred confirmed that she had cataract.

"I could hardly identify my grandchildren except by touching or hearing them talk. This greatly affected how I socialised with them. I missed cooking, washing and serving food to my grandchildren with all my heart. Blindness took me captive and combined with my old age, life became unbearable. Blindness took me away from my kitchen and when I tried to cook, I burned myself"

For two years Esther got used to bumping into objects and items whenever she tried moving within the compound and her house. She had no idea her vision could be corrected. A rehabilitation worker from her community, who had been trained up by the Nairobi Comprehensive Eye Service (NCES) team, explained that an operation at the hospital could help her see again.

The operation was a success
"It took me a long time to accept the referral since people had told me that I could die in the operating theatre. But counseling convinced me to have the surgery. The operation was a success! I couldn't believe it. The impact was enormous. I first felt like just seeing everyone and everything. I wanted to tell everyone I saw that I could see them.

I feel like I'm eight years old now, although I'm in my 80s! Now I can go to the river to fetch my water, whereas before my daughter had to collect it for me. Now I'm independent. My sons, who live with me, now go out to work as I can look after their children."

'I wanted to tell everyone I saw that I could see them'

When the NCES team visited her two weeks later, she was in her kitchen cooking.

"These people gave me my life back," she said. "My kitchen that used to be dark is now very light. I can now cook for my grandchildren. I can see them eat and collect food for them."