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Deborah Bamidele after her sight saving cataract operation. © Sightsavers

Deborah Bamidele after her sight saving cataract operation. © Sightsavers

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Being blind is hard. Being blind in Nigeria is harder

Being blind or visually impaired is a challenge no matter where you live. We would all miss being able to see our friends, family and everyday things like watching our favourite TV or driving a car.  But for women living in developing countries just surviving is a challenge, so the added burden of blindness can be devastating.

When bilateral cataracts robbed Deborah of her sight she was unable to work. She had to give up selling vegetables in her local market and became totally dependant on her extended family to care for her and provide for her children. 'I couldn't do anything' she explained. 'I had to totally rely on my family, they did everything for me, it was so frustrating not being able to look after myself.'

In Ireland people have easy access to cataract surgery but Deborah was blind for four years because she simply couldn't afford to pay for treatment.

After her operation Deborah told us 'I missed my children the most and they were the one thing that I couldn't wait to see once the bandages were removed. When I was blind it was one of the saddest moments in my life, I was so used to my family depending on me that when I had to depend on them for everything I hated it.'

Just €20 can pay for an adult cataract operation. In Deborah's case, this simple operation gave her back her sight but it also gave her back her independence. Deborah is now selling bread in her local market and can look forward to a bright future.

The facts:

  • Getting treatment for cataract is much more difficult in developing countries because there is a huge shortage of eye surgeons.
  • Many people are blind from cataract because they don't know that it can be cured.
  • Sightsavers works in communities to identify people with cataract, as well as performing surgery and providing follow-up care. We also train eye surgeons.

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