Volunteers play crucial role in supporting those living in slums

SPECSAVERS volunteers recently played a crucial role in supporting 2,414 individuals living in Kolkata’s Street and slum communities in India. Among those volunteers, was Lisa Wash, Store Director at Specsavers Liffey Valley, Clondalkin and Maynooth and Abby Gorman, a Dispensing Optician at Specsavers Liffey Valley.

As Lisa, Abby and their team navigated the harsh reality while volunteering at The Hope Hospital Eye Clinic, they visited local street and slum communities where they provided eye health care to those living on the streets.

During their week-long trip, the team of expert opticians visited eleven different locations and gave eye checks to 2,414 patients, dispensed over 1,904 glasses, and in more severe cases, referred patients to Hope Hospital for surgery.

For the majority of these people this was their first time ever seeing an Optician and availing of the basic of eye health care that we often take for granted here in Ireland.

One of those patients was Clara Halder, a 56-year-old community care giver. A hugely passionate reader, books have always been Clara’s escapism from reality, however in recent years she has struggled with deteriorating vision. What once brought her joy, reading now brought her terrible headaches.

Without opportunity or spend to see an Optician or Doctor about her eyesight, she found herself having to sacrifice her passion of reading.

However, when Specsavers came to her local community with the mobile Eye Clinic she queued to be seen and was overjoyed when she was prescribed glasses and given a pair on the spot to take home.

Speaking to Specsavers she said she ‘can’t believe she gets to take these glasses home and for nothing in return. This is a gift that you cannot possibly understand the value of. This will bring me back my joy, my peace and it’s something for just me to have.’

Despite the seemingly routine nature of the eye care provided, many individuals treated by Specsavers colleagues had never accessed such services before. Dr Samran, CEO of The Hope Hospital, emphasised the significance of the visit, noting that 90% of cases of blindness could have been prevented if timely treatment was available. This highlights the critical impact of the Specsavers team’s efforts in bringing essential eye care to those who had previously lacked access.

Eight-year-old Amaira Gulzar was brought to the Specsavers eye clinic where she spoke of sore eyes and headaches.

On testing, it was clear that she needed glasses and of a very high prescription so the symptoms she complained of were not surprising. Amaira had never realised that she couldn’t see clearly, assuming her vision was how all people saw things.

On trying on glasses, she was overwhelmed and surprised, not quite believing the clarity she had been missing out on.

Amaira was excited to get to school the next day to see how the blackboard would appear with her new glasses and was so thankful to Specsavers and Hope for giving her clear sight.

For the people seen by Specsavers on this trip to Kolkata, having glasses can be a life changing tool, be it to help in their education or help them to obtain work to support their families. This was the case for 57-year-old Dannu Prasad Ladar.

A long-haul driver, Dannu is the sole provider for his family of a wife and three children.

Struggling with cataracts in both eyes, Danny’s job was becoming increasingly challenging and stressful, not to mention dangerous. He had refrained from seeking medical intervention in fear that he would lose his job and his family’s source of income and also not be able to afford the healthcare.

He speaks of the night he stumbled upon the Specsavers Night Clinic as a ‘blessing I will be eternally grateful for’.