Towards normalcy….from the throes of haze

Venu’s School Screening programme intends to reach out to the small children whose parents can’t afford to take them to expensive eye clinics for regular eye check ups. These children come from lower income group where, for some parents, even sending them to school is not an easy proposition. Many of them are in need of remedial measures and get them, bringing their sight back to normal.

One interesting case in point is that of siblings Gaurav and Sachin, residents of Sangam Vihar in Delhi. Gaurav is 13 years of age and his younger brother Sachin is all of five years. When Venu’s School Screening team went for a screening programme organised by Prayas, an NGO working with children, they found out that both Sachin and Gaurav were suffering from cataract.

They belong to a poor family, their father being a tailor and the monthly income coming to a meager Rs. 2000- Rs. 2500 every month. When the Venu team tried to talk to the parents and check on the case history, the initial reaction was that of skepticism and a slight apathy. It required a lot of patience and cajoling to bring out the facts. Since the age of five, Gaurav had problems reading and seeing things at a distance. Although his parents did realise that he had a problem they did not do much about it. He was once taken to an eye hospital where they were not told the exact nature of the problem but were told that they would have to pay Rs. 12,000/- for the treatment. Being in no position to shell out that kind of money they decided to accept it as their fate and deal with the problem the best way they could i.e. let things be the way they were. After Sachin’s birth, they realised that he too suffered from the same problem. According to them, this could be nothing but fate! Fortunately their elder sister, Sapna who is 15 years of age, has normal eyesight. For Ramakant, their father, the disappointment was immense, as he would have liked his son to help him in his work along with studying in school. But needlework is something Gaurav could just not manage with his poor sight and blurred vision.

The Venu screening team convinced Gaurav’s parents to bring both the children to the Institute to get a thorough check-up done. The first thought on their minds was that of expense. But once they were told that the operations for both the kids would be free of cost, they eased a bit and relented.

Gaurav was the first one to be operated. The shy and quiet boy was slightly apprehensive in the beginning but after the operation the soft-spoken boy said, “It was okay and I did not feel any discomfort.” When asked if he felt any discomfort at school and while playing because of his sight, he responded sheepishly saying that it was not a problem. Maybe he will know the difference now! Sachin was the next to be operated, though he is too small right now to gauge the problem and express himself, for sure it can be said that an operation at this stage will help him later and put him back his life to normalcy much faster.

The parents are now happy and satisfied that both the children can see normally and will lead a typical life indulging in boyish pranks and fun and frolic. The mother has spent most of her life in a haze and is overjoyed that her children will not have to suffer the same fate as her, of going through their lives without being able to enjoy its many hues.

Life holds new joys and many surprises for these two young boys.