Vision: A symbol of hope
Story by Flying for Life
Vision loss is a major public health concern worldwide and in South Africa. It’s been identified as a national health priority as it often leads to blindness and affects people’s quality of life and ability to make a living.
More than 50% of cases of blindness are caused by cataracts. Cataracts are a cloudy layer that develops over the lens of the eye and leads to complete vision loss. Flying for Life strives to reduce the likelihood of people in rural communities suffering permanent blindness due to cataracts.
Hospitals and local clinics in rural communities are understaffed and lack resources. There are few or no eye care specialists, such as ophthalmologists, to help provide the much-needed cataract surgeries in rural communities. This, unfortunately, widens the social and economic gap for those living in these communities.
Flying for Life recently embarked on an eye care project in rural Limpopo. We flew our ophthalmologists to the Vhembe District for a day to perform cataract surgeries on the 15 patients that came to receive help. The youngest patient was 26 and the oldest was 98 years of age!
To achieve a sustainable impact, we work alongside the nurses and doctors in the communities. Nemandala Muhatuli, a nurse at the rural community clinic we worked with, was happy to share her experiences.
“Flying for Life gives patients who do not have the resources to get eye procedures done a chance without having to pay or going to private institutions.”
-Nemandala Muhatuli.
When asked about the challenges and needs that she has observed during the 5 months she,s been working at the clinic, Nemandala said that the lack of resources, little health education, and community health workers not being trained to deal with complex eye problems all make it hard to identify some vision problems.
A health worker, who has been working in one of the rural clinics for 15 years, acknowledged that Flying for Life brings positive change. People who were not able to see have regained their sight and are happy to have one of their greatest needs in life met. When asked to share a story of someone who has been impacted by Flying for Life’s work, the health worker said, “I have visited a lady who was struggling to see with both eyes and didn’t have enough care at home. She was very grateful and happy that she can now see and will now be able to take care of herself.”
Both health care workers from the rural clinics expressed their thoughts on how more regular projects by Flying for Life could make an even greater impact in their communities. Flying for Life is fortunate to have a strong team of volunteer medical specialists who are helping us uplift rural communities.
There’s always enough room for extra helping hands. By having more specialists on board, we can help more people in the communities and train health workers in the rural clinics to perform more advanced procedures. Therefore, we appeal to contribute financially to give more specialists the platform to make a difference through volunteering with Flying for Life!