Seva Canada is grateful to have received some wonderful supplies from our supporters including intraocular lenses, surgical equipment and children’s eyeglass frames for our programs in Tanzania. Our partner, the Kilimanjaro Center for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO), is leading the way to ensure that children and adults receive the best quality eye care possible and these supplies will help them achieve their goal.
Photo courtesy of Penny Lyons
Smith & Wight Opticians and OGI Canada donated some much-needed children’s eyeglass frames which are difficult to find in Tanzania. Eye problems in children are urgent; unless children have focused, straight vision as early as possible, their sight will not develop properly. In Africa, the rate of cataracts among children is 6 to 10 times higher than it is in Canada, yet children do not receive the services they need. Fortunately, Chris Muller and Abbot Medical Optics donated pediatric intraocular lenses and ophthalmic surgical instruments for pediatric cataract surgeries which are much more expensive than the supplies required for adults.
A young boy in Tanzania having his vision tested. Photo courtesy of Penny Lyons.
Both the donated pediatric eyeglass frames, intraocular lenses and surgical instruments will allow children to see properly, go to school, help their families and reach their full potential. Through the efforts of Dr. Simon Holland, Seva Canada received a donation of medical supplies needed in cataract surgeries. In the regions surrounding Kilimanjaro, where 2 million people live, 7 out of 10 people who were once blind from cataracts have now received surgery due to the work of Seva Canada and KCCO. Through these generous donations and the work of Seva Canada and our partner KCCO, we are leading the way to ensure that adults and children receive the eye care that will help them and their families lead full and happy lives. Thank you to Chris Muller and Abbot Medical Optics, Smith & Wight, OGI Canada, and Dr. Simon Holland for these supplies that will give the power of sight to many children and adults in Tanzania.
Photo courtesy of Penny Lyons
