A new vision
When Santosh Devi started to lose her eye sight it put a huge strain on her and her family. The 38-year-old mother of three lives in Lukhlada village in Uttar Pradesh, north India, with her husband, children, and her husband’s two sisters and mother.
She had no idea that cataracts were developing in both her eyes. “I started finding it difficult to put the thread into the needle while stitching,” she explains. “Slowly the situation got so bad that I could hardly see, and was unable to perform any of the household work.”
This meant she couldn’t cook, feed the animals, or fetch water for her family. Her young sisters-in-law had to juggle their studies with helping look after the family. One in particular had to stay home a lot, which started to affect her education.
Feeling like a burden
“I was feeling very bad that at this age instead of supporting the family I have become a burden on them. My elderly mother-in-law and the others in the family had to do the household work,” she says.
Santosh found out about a screening camp run by Sightsavers partner NSPB (Modinagar Hospital) in a nearby village. She was diagnosed with cataract in both eyes, and referred to the hospital, 35 kilometres away, for surgery.
A mixture of fear and joy
She describes this as an experience of “fear and joy.” After her first operation the first thing she saw was her husband, and couldn’t wait to get home to see the rest of her family. She had a second cataract operation three months later.
I can carry on looking after my family and keeping everybody happy and healthy
“Now I am able to perform the duties of a housewife properly and feel happy about this. I can carry on looking after my family and keeping everybody happy and healthy. I can also do stitching work which is my hobby and now I am planning to make this into a small business. Today not only me but all the members of my family have got a new vision and happily they all say ‘now we can enjoy the tasty food cooked by Santosh!’”
To meet other people like Santosh from nearby villages who have also had their sight restored, you can visit our gallery.
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