What does school look like if you have cataracts?

For children with undiagnosed eye conditions, sight loss can have a lasting impact on their education.

Cataracts are one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in children. Babies can be born with cataracts, or they can develop during childhood because of illness or injury. This can lead to blurred and misty vision, making it harder to read textbooks, take part in lessons, and play games with friends.

How does the world look to a child with cataracts? Use our simulator on this page to find out. Search for a place that means something to you, such as the street where you grew up, or a landmark you visited on a school trip. Our cataract simulator will give you a idea of how it might look through their eyes.

What Sightsavers is doing to help

Sightsavers’ school eye health project is training teachers to spot the warning signs of cataracts, as well as other eye problems such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism. Miss Ismat, a teacher from Pakistan trained through the project, discovered more than half the children in her class had sight problems that could have had a long-term impact on their education.

So far, our school eye health project in Pakistan has trained 791 teachers to give eye tests, and we’ve already reached 170,348 children. Please donate to Sightsavers and help us extend this project, so we can screen more children for conditions that could lead to blindness, before it’s too late.

Where do donations go?
91% of donations, including donated supplies, go to our vital charity work, and 9% help us grow our awareness and funding.