From her earliest days in school, 13-year-old Zara in Nepal struggled to get by. She couldn’t read what her teachers wrote on the blackboard, and she often rolled her eyes around and made unusual body movements, instantly making her stand out as “different” to her peers. We can only imagine how lonely and confusing life was for the girl – not knowing why she was so unlike the other children.
What nobody realized was that some of Zara’s actions – the eye-rolling, the strange movements – are typical self-stimulatory behaviours seen in some children with severe vision impairment. As a result of these behaviours, children like Zara are sometimes misdiagnosed with autism or developmental disabilities if their low vision continues to go unrecognized.
Fortunately for Zara, her school was included in a school eye screening project we had implemented in collaboration with our partner, Nepal Eye Hospital. During the screening, community health workers discovered that Zara had cataracts in both of her eyes, a condition she’d been born with, and that had severely clouded her vision throughout her young life.
The outreach team met with Zara and her mother, explained the condition to them, and told them that treatment was available. They referred the family to the nearby Simara Vision Centre for a thorough examination, where doctors confirmed the diagnosis of congenital cataracts. From there, Zara received a further referral to Nepal Eye Hospital in Kathmandu for surgery.
The Operation Eyesight project team provided crucial support, guiding Zara and her parents through the treatment process and helping them access surgery at a reduced cost, making it affordable for the family, who had limited financial resources.
Zara’s first eye surgery was a success, and a month later she returned to the hospital for surgery on the second eye. On her second visit, when she spotted Operation Eyesight’s Project Coordinator from across the hospital, she waved enthusiastically – something that would not have been possible before her first surgery.
Zara’s transformation was profound. The eye rolling stopped, her unusual movements decreased, and she became more sociable with family and friends, even interacting withstrangers. For the first time in her life, she could recognize people from a distance, read the blackboard in class and fully participate in school activities.
Zara’s mother was overwhelmed with relief to see her daughter blossom. She had been extremely worried about her child’s future, and was amazed to see Zara playing, learning and interacting like other children her age. She and her family expressed deep gratitude to the hospital, the doctors and healthcare workers, and to Operation Eyesight’s generous donors, for making this life-changing transformation possible.
Help us reach more children like Zara with life-changing surgery. Thanks to special donors, this year for Giving Tuesday we are matching $35,000 worth of donations! From Nov. 26 until Dec. 3 (or while matching funds last), your $75 gift will provide not one but TWO sight-saving cataract surgeries!
Written with files from Anisha Gurung, Operation Eyesight’s Project Coordinator at Nepal Eye Hospital.
