"I know him! That's my grandson!" Just imagine 80-year-old Birketo's feelings looking at the boy in front of him the day after his cataracts were removed.
But for the three years leading up to that moment, it was a very different story.
"I can't go here or there," Birketo, from Ethiopia, explained before the operation. "It is very difficult for me. The only thing I can do is hear. Even my family hand-feed me." He struggled to leave the house, let alone work.
Birketo waits for cataract surgery, funded thanks to the help of Orbis supporters
Birketo had proudly continued to work as a farmer right into his late 70s. But, like a lot of people his age, he found his eyesight gradually deteriorating. His lenses slowly clouded over until he could barely see. Reluctantly, he handed his farming responsibilities to his sons.
When we interviewed him, he had a blood-speckled bandage around his head - his poor vision had caused him to fall. Birketo's cataracts had lost him his sight and independence. Perhaps worst of all, he was unable to watch his beloved grandchildren grow up.
Birketo hadn't been able to see his grandson, Atateso, properly for three years because of cataracts
The moment Birketo's doctor reintroduced him to his nine-year-old grandson Atateso is one none of them will forget. A little later, the sight-saving impact of the surgery was still sinking in. "I can see!" Birketo exclaimed, "they showed me the kid! I'm very happy. I'm looking forward to what I can see."
And that moment of joy is all down to you.
