Recent studies in Pakistan have found that there is an inextricable link between blindness and poverty: the prevalence of total blindness in poor areas was more than three times of that in affluent areas. Studies have also found that four million children in the country have a vision impairment.
Sightsavers aims to ensure everyone can be treated for eye issues. We’ve trained more than 85,000 Lady Health Workers to provide health care in the community for conditions including refractive error and cataracts. We’ve also trained more than 40,000 teachers to screen children in schools.
In collaboration with provincial partners, we’ve established seven paediatric ophthalmology centres, and trained thousands of opthalmologists and surgeons.
Watch the video below to find out more about our eye health work in Pakistan.
We also partner with local and national organisations to improve the rights of people with disabilities in the country and make sure they are not excluded from society, work or education.
Over 20 years Sightsavers has run numerous projects on inclusive education, including training teachers on how to include children with disabilities in the classroom, establishing the first-ever model inclusive technology lab at school and university level and equipping government institutions with accessible IT software and braille books for students with visual impairments.
In January 2020, Pakistan signed its first ever law which protects the rights of people with disabilities.
Sometimes a simple pair of glasses can change a child’s life. Sightsavers has been training teachers to screen children for vision problems.
Disability rights are high on the UN’s agenda – Country director Munazza Gilani looks at Pakistan’s priorities in the coming years.
Sightsavers’ Guillaume Trotignon visited Pakistan to see whether people living in urban slums in Lahore are able to get eye treatment.
As the 17-year-long Seeing is Believing project comes to an end, Imran Khan goes behind the scenes to reveal why it has made such an impact.
The accolades, from the the International Association and Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), recognise and celebrate young and upcoming staff and volunteers within the eye health sector.
A young boy has his sight restored in Nigeria, plus news from Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania and Ghana.
Cataract surgical rate only measures quantity of services, and quality remains neglected. This raises questions that need addressing.
Illustrations are helping researchers understand NTDs in Nigeria, plus news from Mozambique, Pakistan, India and the UK.
On international Women’s Day, Sightsavers' Asma Rashida highlights the additional prejudices women with disabilities face, and the important work of the Right to Health project.