Gaya Bai’s Story

Fifty-nine-year-old Gaya Bai from Katni manages her household expenses from the meagre pension of her retired Police constable husband. The family doesn’t have much resources and is financially not doing well. Since retirement, her husband has also not been keeping well and the responsibility to look after the house has completely fallen upon Gaya Bai. Earlier in the year, she complained of vision problems but was unable to get an eye health check-up owing to bare resources. This impacted her daily life and ability to perform everyday basic chores.

Due to her already poor financial condition and with her reducing vision, she lived in constant fear of becoming dependent on others for helping herself and her husband. It was through one of the neighbours she got to know about Sightsavers Netra Vasant Rural Eye Health programme. Thereafter, under the programme, she got her eyes examined at the SNC City Centre at Katni where she was diagnosed with cataract. In May, this year she got her cataract sight restoration surgery done at Base Hospital in Chitrakoot. Gaya Bai is happy to have her sight and independence back.