81-year-old Lo Er Zhen lives alone in Weitar, a small, rural village in the Sichuan province in China. Orphaned at a young age, Lo Er took care of her younger brother, Dengdan, and they relied heavily on each other. Lo Er never married, but she had always managed well on her own.

That was until 3 years ago when Lo Er, who already had difficulty walking, started to go blind, making simple tasks and daily chores nearly impossible.

Dengdan visited his sister once a week but worried about her safety and wellbeing. “These last two months she was really unhappy and every day she just sits in the garden and stares at the wall. One night I heard her crying which made me really sad. I told myself that I will do my best to cure her eyes as I cannot bear to see her like this anymore," recalled Dengdan. He went to a local clinic to buy her some eye drops and noticed a sign advertising an upcoming eye screening funded by Seva.

Dengdan was determined to find a way to transport his sister to the screening. He asked around at the clinic for a bicycle and when the ophthalmologist heard this, she offered to visit Lo Er’s home to screen her eyes.

Lo Er having her eyes examined

Lo Er was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes and transported to a nearby hospital for sight restoring surgery.

When her bandages were removed, Lo Er smiled, “now I can see the beautiful colours and people’s faces. It feels so good!” Dengdan, overcome with relief, started to cry. It had been a long time since he had seen his sister so happy.

Lo Er after surgery

“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has helped me get out from darkness,” said Lo Er.

Thanks to the support of generous Seva donors like you,  people like Lo Er who live in rural and remote areas are able to access the eye care they need and deserve.