Fahima is a 22-year-old postgraduate zoology student from in Pakistan’s Chitral district near the Afghanistan border.
For the past three years, Fahima has been suffering from the agony of trichiasis, a painful condition caused by trachoma which is the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness.
For sufferers, their eyelashes turn inward and scratch the clear part of the eye, resulting in severe pain, visual impairment and blindness if not treated.
Initially, Fahima thought her eye condition was a normal allergy and her families tried home remedies to alleviate the pain.
But over time, the pain intensified. Living alone in a hostel, Fahima was upset and was even unable to close her eyes to sleep.
Fahima’s studies were affected as she had difficulty reading textbooks, and her isolation increased when she experienced bullying and was unable to socialise with friends.
Coming from a poor family, Fahima could not afford to access treatment from an eye specialist.
Fahima studies were affected as she had difficulty reading the textbooks.
She experienced bullying and was unable to socialise with friends, increasing her isolation and giving her low confidence.
One day, Lady Health Workers in her area visited and informed her about a trachoma elimination project managed by The Fred Hollows Foundation with the support of the Australian Government’s Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). \
Lady Health Workers are trained to diagnose trachoma, cataract and other eye conditions and refer women to local eye units for screening and further treatment.
Fahima was referred to the surgical camp in her district where her trichiasis surgery was performed.
After the surgery, Fahima no longer suffers pain. She is thankful to The Fred Hollows Foundation and the ANCP for saving her sight and alleviating her pain.
Information Source & Images: The Frred Hollows Fopundation
