“I lost vision in my left eye, and I felt pain.” For 12-year-old Sadia, life had already been shaped by displacement, uncertainty and loss.
As part of the Rohingya community, Sadia and her family were forced to flee Myanmar in 2017 following violence and persecution. After a long and difficult journey, they arrived in Bangladesh and settled in a camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Far from home and living with limited resources, accessing healthcare was incredibly difficult.
Then Sadia lost vision in one eye after a freak accident.
Sadia was studying at a learning centre, when a sudden storm hit the camp. The violent wind swept up debris, leaving a piece stuck in her eye.
The injury was extremely painful, but like many people in the camp, Sadia struggled to access healthcare meaning and the injury went untreated for several days.
Over time, her condition worsened.
Sadia’s vision in her left eye deteriorated which made daily life so much harder: “I stopped going to child friendly spaces for one year.”
For a child already living through displacement, losing access to education and normal routines was another painful setback.
After hearing about local services from a neighbour, Sadia’s mother took her to the Balukhali Vision Center in Ukhiya.
There, Sadia finally received an eye examination.
Doctors discovered she had developed a cataract in her left eye.
For her family, the diagnosis brought both answers and fear.
Sadia needed specialist treatment and surgery to restore her sight. But like many families living in the refugee camps, they had very limited income and no way to afford the care she needed.
Her parents worried about what would happen if treatment was delayed. Sadia had already missed a year of classes, and without surgery, her vision could continue to worsen.
There was also another challenge. Specialist eye care was not available nearby, meaning Sadia would need to travel outside the camp for treatment.
For a refugee family already living through uncertainty and displacement, it felt overwhelming.
But through an Orbis project to support children in Ukhiya and Teknaf, Sadia was able to access treatment free of charge.
She was referred to Cox’s Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital, where doctors confirmed the diagnosis and recommended surgery at Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex.
The surgery was a great success and gave Sadia something deeply important back: her independence and education.
“Now I am going to child friendly space and enjoying classes for informal education with friends.”
For her mother, the relief was overwhelming.
“I was so disappointed after seeing the vision problem of my daughter. She could not attend school.”
Like many parents, Sadia’s mother worried deeply about her daughter’s future.
“My husband and I were so worried about her future.”
After receiving treatment, her outlook changed.
“After visiting here, I was happy. I was also so grateful after getting good services. I pray for this organisation.”
Children living in refugee camps face enormous barriers to healthcare, including eye care.
Without treatment, conditions such as cataracts can lead to avoidable vision loss, affecting education, wellbeing and future opportunities.
At Orbis, we work to end avoidable blindness by strengthening local eye care systems, supporting hospitals and helping communities access treatment, even in some of the world’s most challenging settings.
Orbis was one of the first organisations to address avoidable blindness among Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.
For children like Sadia, access to eye care means more than restored sight.
It means returning to school, reconnecting with friends and rebuilding hope for the future.
