A crisp, white card with a golden eye, shining like a star and encircled by a rangoli, reached thousands across the country on Diwali. In the reflection of the soft, morning light the recipients’ eyes lit up reading its contents.
It said that we, on their behalf, had funded an eye surgery, through The Vision Foundation of India and pulled someone out of permanent darkness with just Rs 1800.
It’s unbelievable, but true that a large number of children, women and senior citizens suffering from blindness caused by cataract, across India, either don’t have the funds for the simple surgery to remove it or still believe that the irregularity is God’s curse upon them.
Research says that blindness often results in social exclusion, making the visually impaired vulnerable to abuse, poverty and early death. As per the World Health Organisation resolution on Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, the country is working hard to eradicate the widespread problem.