Orbis: An eye sight charity changing lives all over the world

By the time little Tam was just 5-years-old, he was already losing his sight to cataract. His mother first discovered he was having problems when they visited the park together. She pointed out some pretty lights to him, but he couldn’t see them. Unlike the other children who were pointing and laughing, five-year-old Tam was squinting and struggling to see.

The longer a child has to wait to have their cataract treated, the lower their chances of seeing clearly again. It’s a race against time, and every minute counts. This is why it’s so important to reach children like Tam and restore their sight as soon as we can.

We’re working hard to screen and treat children with cataract, but we need your help. Will you give a gift today and help us give clear eye sight to children like Tam in developing countries today?

Tam’s family took him to Binh Dinh Eye Hospital – and it was here he was diagnosed with biliterate cataract (cataract in both eyes). They were told it could be corrected through surgery – but they were worried that they wouldn’t be able to afford the operation.

Fortunately, an Orbis-support paediatric eye care programme was due to start delivering surgeries just a few weeks later, and not only would Tam receive the sight saving surgery he needed, but the family wouldn’t have to pay!

The surgery went well, and the Orbis trained ophthalmologist who checked Tam’s sight following his surgery was delighted, he told us: “[His vision is] very good, he can see faraway and near and he only needs to fix his glasses. Now he can study well, and he is able to get on with everything.”

Tam was one of the lucky ones – we were able to treat his cataract in time. But there are still thousands of children whose sight is still at risk from cataract – and we’re running out of time to reach them. You can help us restore the sight of more children like Tam, who live in some of the poorest parts of the world, before it’s too late.