My son will see

Overnight the pupil of the left eye of a 6 month baby turns white. Imagine the plight of its parents. Parents , who because of their poverty could not even dream of taking their child to see a good ophthalmologist.

This is the story of Anuj, born to al family in the remote interiors tribal belt of Mandla, in Madhya Pradesh. Anuj's case was picked up by one of the field screening teams of the hospital. He was transferred along with his parents to the tertiary eye care facility at Delhi. Anuj was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma, a condition that leads to irreversible blindness and needed immediate corrective surgery.

Post surgery, the smile on little anuj's face say's it all. Hopefully, he will grow up to become a support for his poor parents.

I can see my grandchildren

Grand children are a source of unadulterated joy for old people. Imagine not being able to see them and play with them. Or for that matter becoming slowly dependant on others for even day to day tasks. Not being able to ask your children for help knowing they hardly earned enough to feed and clothe their own families.

Many people like Ramshree just fade away. Death being their only savior from a life of misery. Fortunately for her, one of her son\92s took the initiative to bring her to the hospital from their village in Kanpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Diagnosed with advanced cataract in both eyes, surgery was the only option. She had one of her eye\92s operated and wanted to go back home immediately. When asked by her son to wait and get the second eye operated; she said \93I can\92t wait to go back home and play with my grandchildren.\94 Her weather beaten face and toothless smile post surgery perhaps says more than a 1000 words could.

A bright future for shivani

BalakRam, a landless labourer from Hardoi District of Uttar Pradesh has to support a family of five on a monthly income of Rs.2000 ($40).

Balak Ram first realized that his youngest daughter, Shivani had a problem when she was just 2 months old. Shivani would just not react like normal babies do. A local doctor confirmed his worst fears; Shivani had been born with congenital cataracts in both eyes. Only a super specialist Paediatric Ophthalmologist would be able to help.

Balakram and his wife had resigned themselves to their fate knowing well that they would never have the resources to treat Shivani. A government health worker, familiar with the institutions paediatric eye care programme, directed Balakram to Dr. Shroff\92s Charity Eye Hospital.

Shivani was operated for cataract in both of her eyes. However her age did not permit the implantation of artificial lenses. She has been prescribed glasses and when she grows up, lens will be implanted.

Shivani. One more child saved from the scourge of blindness.

Samarath gets a new life

Imagine a child having retinoblastoma (cancer) of the eye. And the plight of the parents can be imagined that absence of treatment would lead to certain death for their child.

Samarth, the only child of a poor road side ice cream seller will perhaps never know the trials and the tribulations his parents had to face. Treatment was available but the costs were prohibitive.

A filed screening team of the hospital identified Samarth during a routine community screening.

Right from investigations to medical management to surgery and now chemotherapy, Samarth\92s father does not have to worry about any expense now. The tumor has been removed following a surgery for the right eye. He has been undergoing regular chemotherapy, so that his disease can be contained. We are all keeping our fingers crossed.

Anuj, Ramshree, Shivani and Samarth. The common factor between blindness and life was poverty. Something beyond their control. They would have become another addition to the statistics of blind persons had not somebody stepped forward to make a difference.

As Sir Winston Churchill said\85\94 we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.