Arif’s life changed after an operation as a child: a 15-year story

Arif’s mother Shumeza first noticed white spots appearing in both his eyes when he was a few months old.

“He couldn’t find anything when he used to play with balls or other toys. He used to put his hands up to protect his eyes from light,” she explains. “I really felt how Arif was suffering.”

“There was a young woman called Lucky travelling in my village looking for patients with eye problems,” Shumeza explains. “Lucky told us she would take us to Narsingdi hospital where Arif’s eyes would be examined so the three of us went to the hospital.”

After being diagnosed with cataracts, Arif and his mother are taken to a hospital in the capital Dhaka, where he has a cataract operation.

At the hospital Arif is given a toy truck to play with. He is mesmerised by it, his eye exploring it in the way once only his fingers could. And for the first time, Arif sees that it is blue.

Sightsavers revisits Arif, who can now identify his relatives and neighbours, and no longer needs their help to move around the house and village. He can dress and wash himself, play with friends, go to the market and even ride a bike.

Few village schools in Bangladesh have teachers who are skilled in supporting students with disabilities. So before his operation, Arif would have struggled to attend school or keep up with his peers. Without an education or the skills to earn an income, he would have been dependent on his family for the rest of his life.

“My life has fully totally changed. Now I can see everything. I can play, run and study,” he explains. “My favourite subjects at school are agriculture and social science.”

Remembering his operation eight years ago, Arif says: “I got my life back again. I’ll never forget that day.”

Now 20 years old, Arif has left home and works as a driver. “Before the operation I couldn’t even see a book,” he recalls, “but after I can see words in books and learn my lessons. After the operation I was able to read and write but before I couldn’t.

“My life has changed because of the cataract operation. Now I live in the city, in Dhaka. I have a job there, I can see clearly and I can work.”