Sunni Bai's story

Sightsavers India’s Support in High Impact District Transforms a Life

Meet Sunni Bai, a resilient 60-year-old widow in Katni, Madhya Pradesh.
She hails from one of the High-Impact areas identified by Sightsavers India under its Rural Eye Health Programme in the Katni district. Our team diligently identifies cases of bilateral blindness caused by cataracts within this high-impact block to prevent avoidable blindness.

Sunni Bai lost her husband a year ago and now lives with her two sons and daughters. Her sons, skilled masons, travel to Surat for work, returning home only sporadically. One son and one daughter have found their own homes, leaving just two children to accompany her in the village.

In the past, Sunni Bai worked as a labourer, contributing to her family’s livelihood. However, her world began to blur as she developed severe vision problems over the past year. Sadly, her family’s financial situation made it impossible to seek medical help, as her children’s work was inconsistent and barely enough to make ends meet.

One day, she received word of an eye health organised by Sightsavers India in collaboration with SNC. Sunni Bai got wind of this opportunity through a field staff member and the village head, the Sarpanch. She made her way to the camp with her daughter and son.

At the camp, a team of dedicated eye specialists conducted thorough examinations and diagnosed her with mature cataracts in both eyes. The medical team provided her with valuable counselling and decided to perform cataract surgery on her right eye.

She was transported to the base hospital on the same day, courtesy of the camp’s well-equipped vehicle. The hospital staff performed all the necessary pre-operative assessments with utmost care and precision, setting the stage for surgery.

On August 25, 2023, Sunni Bai’s right eye underwent cataract surgery. The results were nothing short of miraculous. Before the surgery, her pre-operative vision in the right eye was dim—FC1FT. But after the skilled hands of the medical team, her right eye’s vision improved to a remarkable 6/18.

The moment she tested her vision post-surgery, her face lit up joyfully. It was a heartwarming sight to behold.