Will you help restore sight to people like Den?
Den’s eyes have seen decades of change. She survived two wars and raised children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. But Den was still nervous about the surgery. She worried that her eyeballs would be removed during the operation. Despite her fears, Den put her trust in the surgeon, hoping her sight could be restored. The patch was removed the following day and Den was overjoyed. Your caring support made it all possible. Thanks to people like you, Den no longer lives in darkness. But Den is just one of 800 million older people in the world living with avoidable vision impairment. By taking action today to help end avoidable blindness, we can ensure people like Den get the help they need.
Right now, vision loss is impacting millions of older people worldwide and is, to a large extent, avoidable. It's time to bring the eye health and ageing sectors together to address this unmet need. But we need your help before it’s too late.
Today, an estimated 73 percent of people living with avoidable vision impairment are older people. Vietnam has one of the fastest ageing populations in the world and its older people are increasingly affected by vision loss. As the world's population ages, people with avoidable vision impairment will continue to rise unless urgent action is taken today.
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Clementine was just one of those people facing this scenario: she was desperate to help her son, but the village where they live is hours from the nearest hospital. Travelling is really not an option for people in her situation.
Without outreach programs like the ones run by The Fred Hollows Foundation, finding help would have been very difficult. But a community health worker visited the area where Eric lives, and contacted Dr Ciku Mathenge, a leading eye surgeon who has restored sight to thousands of people
In people aged over 50 years in Vietnam, cataract is the most common cause of blindness. Many people are afraid of surgery, cannot afford treatment, are unaware it is available or feel they are too old to have their vision improved. Your kindness can help us reach more people like Den.
Women continue to shoulder 56 percent of vision loss cases in older people. And the repercussions extend far beyond the individual. Caregivers of people with vision loss, usually women and girls, often grapple with the challenging task of balancing their needs with those of older family members experiencing vision loss, which can lead to anxiety and depression and lost opportunities for education or earning a livelihood. You can help end this cycle for women and girls in Vietnam.
When Den’s patch was removed, her entire face lit up with joy. She was delighted with the result and couldn’t wait to tell her friends and family. “I said to my friends that my eye is clearer now – I’m very happy with my surgery.” “Now I’d like to visit my neighbours and my grandchildren – and I can live alone in my home.” At 82, there is still so much Den wants to see and do. And thanks to your caring support, she can. “I will take care of my grandchildren. I want them to grow strong and healthy and study well, get a good job and income, then get married and be happy,” she said. Your support changed Den’s life. But there are still many more people who need your help here in Vietnam, and around the world.
The Foundation has a long history in Vietnam. Fred Hollows first arrived there in 1992 with plans to help local surgeons improve their cataract surgery skills. The team learned that only 50 “modern” cataract surgeries were being performed in Vietnam per year by just two eye surgeons. Fred asked the surgeons if they wanted to learn the new techniques and they were overwhelmingly keen. Fred made a promise to return to Vietnam and train the country’s ophthalmologists. He famously checked himself out of hospital when he was gravely ill with cancer to return and keep his promise to train ophthalmologists in modern cataract surgery techniques. Over the next few years, despite Fred’s death, more than 300 Vietnamese eye doctors were trained in modern surgical techniques. As Fred said: “Teach the teachers first, then the teachers can teach others.” Today, more than 1,000 Vietnamese surgeons perform around 250,000 cataract surgeries every year. With your support this year, The Foundation will:
With your help, we can achieve Fred’s dream of an end to avoidable blindness in Vietnam.
Please donate today to restore sight...