"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision," Helen Keller.

World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is a global event meant to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment. It was originally initiated by the SightFirstCampaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000.

Did You Know:

• The world's population is currently approximately 7.3 billion people

• Of these, 36 million are blind

• 217 have moderate to severe visual impairment

Healthcare inequities and inequalities globally result in a lack of necessary provisions for impoverished and refugee communities. The healthcare system in some countries isn't developed enough to provide adequate care, or the development is there, but the price tag is too high. Whatever the reason may be, the result is that millions of people around the world are suffering from vision impairment and blindness when they don't have to be.

94 million people suffer from eye cataracts. The leading causes of vision impairment and blindness are uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts.

HHRD's Healthcare and Nutrition Program provides free services and cataract eye surgeries to impoverished populations and refugee communities. Currently, some of the countries where this service is available include:

• Kenya
• Mali
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Somalia
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• and to Yemeni refugees in Somalia and South Africa

HHRD aims to provide full care when a cataract eye surgery is sponsored. Patients receive their treatments and all-around care to provide the best results. The patient's free treatment includes identifying cataract patients through screenings in clinics and camps, screening for Hepatitis B, C, & HIV, screening for diabetes, blood pressure, and other illnesses, surgical procedures to remove the cataract and implanting Intra-ocular Lenses (IOL) on a need basis, sunglasses, medication, follow up appointments, and transportation whenever needed.

On World Sight Day, we encourage everyone to participate in preventing blindness and vision impairment. Together, we can give the gift of sight. Your generosity can reignite the light in their life. 

By Sobia Siddique.