Stories
Together, we have impacted the lives of thousands of people.
Here are a few of the stories of how our work has changed lives.
Esther
Esther was a top magistrate fighting for justice.
But she had to give it up when her eyesight deteriorated due to an inherited genetic condition. Whilst there was little we could do in restoring her sight, we gifted her a magnifier, and a magnification system allows her to scan a page and project it in very large print onto a screen.
These methods are not complicated; they are, in fact, very simple.
But the evidence of their effects was clearly shown on Esther’s radiant face!
Paul
In 2019, we diagnosed Paul with glaucoma. If left untreated, glaucoma causes tunnel vision and even leads to blindness.
One of the dangers of glaucoma is that symptoms do not start showing up until it's too late. Glaucoma cannot be reversed - but the good news is if it is found early, it is possible prevent the loss of sight.
Thankfully, we caught Paul's at an early stage and he still has excellent sight. We were able to start him on medication straight away, and also referred him to a hospital to receive ongoing treatment.
With regular check ups and medication, Paul's sight has been saved.
Titas
Titas worked at the local supermarket, earning him a steady income as a bag packer.
Yet his job was made all the more difficult with his increasing loss of his sight. In fact, it was so poor that his colleagues nicknamed him the “blind man”.
The cultural stigma of being blind is very strong in Kenya, and Titas is not alone in being on the receiving end of shame and stigma.
But after visiting our clinic, he was provided with a pair of glasses that completely changed his life. He was able to do his job more than competently and be on an even par with his colleagues. Now, they call him Titas.
Beatrice
When we first met Beatrice at one of our eye clinics, she was clearly in pain.
One of SeeKenya's optometrists examined her and discovered she had a nasty infected ulcer that covered about half of her cornea.
Without medication, the eye would have almost certainly gone blind.
It was our joy to see that with a course of antibiotics, Beatrice returned to the clinic completely healed.
Grace
Grace is an ordinary schoolgirl with a determined streak – she travelled around 80km to visit our SeeKenya clinic.
When our optometrists examined Grace, we discovered she had trachoma.
This painful condition, if untreated, leads to irreversible blindness and is currently the leading cause of blindness in Kenya.
Fortunately, we were able to give her life-changing medication to Grace and her family to prevent its spread.
Because of our partnership with local NGO Edfri International, our meeting with Grace also provided the opportunity for Grace to be sponsored so she can keep going to school and receive an education. A simple eye appointment has led Grace's life being transformed.
Joy
Joy is one of the 10,000 blind young children living in Kenya.
At just three years old, she needed an incredibly high prescription such was her extreme short-sightedness caused by congenital cataracts.
Joy would be functionally blind without glasses. She visited us again the following year, and her dad told us she had been wearing her glasses all the time and wouldn’t take them off, such was the improvement to her sight!
However, the cataracts meant that her vision was still very cloudy which can affect her visual development. So we referred her to have her cataracts removed. We are confident that once this treatment has been done she won’t need such strong glasses and her eyes should develop normally and she can thrive in the future.
Evans and Violet
At Evans initial examination, we diagnosed advanced childhood glaucoma caused by exceptionally high pressure in his eyes. His sister Violet also had very high eye pressure and was at risk of vision loss.
We referred Evans for treatment. He was given drops, but this did not lower the pressure enough and he needed surgical intervention, as did his sister Violet.
When we next saw him, his eye pressure had reduced to normal stopping the deterioration of his eyesight.
They are both now glaucoma 'free'!
Linet
Linet had a hard start to life with the death of her Mum and absence of her Dad. It was her schoolteacher who brought her to one of the SeeKenya clinics after noticing her difficulties in class.
Linet could only read a book just 7cm away from her face, anything else was a complete blur. She may have lived like this her whole life, and without the help of SeeKenya, would have continued this same way.
The SeeKenya team were quickly able to make up a very strong pair of glasses in the behind-the-scenes glazing lab which she received that same day.
These glasses have completely changed Linet's life for the better, as has her ability to read and follow the blackboard teaching during class.
Her hope of achieving an education has been restored due to the work of SeeKenya!
Marion
6-year-old twins Marion and Sharon are 6-year-old twins were raised by their single mum and grandmother, after their dad left them. Marion had one of the worst cases of vernal conjunctivitis (VKC) we have ever seen, which has caused extensive damage to her surface of her eyes.
If identified in time, it can usually be easily controlled with inexpensive eye drops but if left untreated it can, tragically, lead to blindness.
When we first met Marion, she could barely open her eyes and was clearly in pain. We started her on a course of eye drops and she came back to the clinic a week later for a check-up.
Even in that short space of time she was significantly better, smiling and able to open her eyes again.
However, due to the advanced condition of the allergy, her eyes were still in a bad way.
One year later, they visited us again. Their mother told us that Marion had been much more comfortable for the past few months, but she was still unable to see. Sadly, the damage done to Marion’s eyes in the past is so great that the drops alone are not sufficient to treat her and we have referred her to a specialist hospital.
Neema
Neema's parents had driven over 500km from the Ethiopian border in a desperate attempt to help their daughter.
The family had visited 17 different hospitals or opticians both in Kenya and in Ethiopia as they sought to find a solution to their little girl’s condition.
Neema has a condition called sclerocornea, making her functionally blind.
Each time they were told that she was blind and nothing could be done. Then they heard about the clinics run by SeeKenya in Meru and knew that, as any parent would, they had to pursue the possibility that this time it could be different.
We quickly established that Neema was extremely short sighted and that her vision could possibly be helped with a strong pair of glasses. A frame was chosen and within an hour the glasses were made. This was not a perfect solution and has not resolved the underlying problem of the opaque corneas but Neema could now see movement across the room, giving high fives to the team!
We also promised to investigate surgical treatment options available in the UK. The SeeKenya team gathered around Neema and prayed for her and her family with her very tearful father saying “You are the first people who have given us hope”.
Tony
Tony, a graphics design student, came to the SeeKenya clinic in October 2018 in terrible pain and could barely see.
Whilst leaving a university class, he was robbed, had acid thrown in his face and was left for dead. He was found and taken to hospital where doctors saved his life – but tragically, not his sight.
Thankfully, SeeKenya’s optometrists could help and a small (but just about usable) amount of his sight returned – miraculously enabling him to keep creating graphics. When Tony visited the clinic again in February 2020, scarring had sadly caused his vision to deteriorate further. But the SeeKenya team refused to give up. We were hopeful that he may be able to have a corneal graft, to replace the scarred tissue with a healthy donated cornea. To do this, he would first need a stem cell transplant.
We for Tony to go back to the hospital with his sister. They were overjoyed to find out that she was a suitable match to be a stem cell donor for him. Tony was informed that if this first stage of the treatment is successful, he could then have a corneal graft. With this, there is a good chance he will regain his sight in one eye!
Deborah
Deborah arrived at the clinic clearly suffering from the eye disease trachoma.
Having been assessed by the team at the clinic, she was given some drops and oral antibiotics to treat the trachoma.
One year later Deborah made a return visit to the clinic in Meru to thank the team for their help.
Her eyes have been healed of the trachoma and she is now able to go to school.
Her future is full of hope.
Mary
Mary dropped out of university as she was no longer read her books to help her study. She was given some minus 12 very high strength glasses to help her to read again.
A year later, her mum came and told us her Mary was back at university, and able to complete her training.
Mary now has the chance to earn a living that would previously have been impossible.
Anna
Anna is a single mother with teenage children and a two year old.
She supports her family by hairdressing which she does from her home, yet her eyesight was deteriorating.
She was given a simple pair of reading glasses by the SeeKenya team which then enabled her to continue with her work and support her family as a single parent.
