Zuwaira lived a life in pain

Will you help more people like Zuwaira have their sight and independence restored?

For Zuwaira, trichiasis meant agonising pain and losing her independence.

What started out as a trachoma infection, developed into more serious trichiasis when Zuwaira was in her 20s. Her eyelids turned inwards, her lashes scratched at her eyes and there was no escape from the “itchy, painful and teary” feeling.

For 27 years, this resilient mother and businesswoman had found ways to cope with her increasingly excruciating trichiasis. “I do my work at night,” she told us. “At night, I can see clearly but during the daytime, it always seems like there’s a big hole in front of me.”

Zuwaira never let trichiasis take over her life. She worked making and selling groundnut cakes until her deteriorating sight forced her to stop.

“There were things I could do before that I couldn’t do – it really hurt me and I felt livid and frustrated.”

Relying on others didn’t come easy to Zuwaira. She told us: “Any time I had to do work, like fetching water, I thought deeply about how to do it.” When she needed to walk somewhere, Zuwaira had no choice but to ask the women in her community for help. But what she urgently needed was treatment. Without Sightsavers’ and our partners’ help, Zuwaira was at risk of going blind.

Today, you could help reach more people like Zuwaira in remote communities, before it’s too late to save their sight.

Donate now

I would like to make a

one-off

donation

€34

Could provide a full course of eye ointment to 34 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

€70

Could help community case finders like Surayya screen 35 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

€112

Could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

Could provide a full course of eye ointment to 34 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

Could help community case finders like Surayya screen 35 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

Could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

€

We're sorry, but the minimum donation we can take is €3

We're sorry, but we cannot process a donation of this size online. Please contact us on [email protected] for assistance donating over €10,000

For Zuwaira, trichiasis meant agonising pain and losing her independence.

For 27 years, this resilient mother and businesswoman had found ways to work around her increasingly excruciating trichiasis. “I do my work at night,” she told us. “At night, I can see clearly but during the daytime, it always seems like there’s a big hole in front of me.”

Zuwaira tried never to let trichiasis take over her life. She worked making and selling groundnut cakes until her deteriorating sight forced her to stop.

She felt the loss deeply: “There were things I could do before that I couldn’t do – it really hurt me and I felt livid and frustrated.”

Relying on others didn’t come easy to Zuwaira. She told us, “Anytime I had to do work like fetching water, I thought deeply about how to do it.” But when she needed to walk somewhere, she had no choice but to ask the women in her community for help.

Without Sightsavers’ and our partners’ help, Zuwaira with no treatment was at risk of going blind.

Today, you could help us reach more communities and save the sight for more people like Zuwaira.

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Zuwaira cooking for her family: the smoke from cooking causes pain in her eyes.

Zuwaira and local case finder Surayya social-distancing at an eye health screening.

Zuwaira during a no-touch eye examination, holding her own eyelid back for Surayya to check her eyes for signs of trichiasis.

For one last time, Zuwaira must rely on family to take her to the eye clinic.

Zuwaira after her successful operation, waiting for her bandages to be removed by the surgeon.

Zuwaira lived most her adult life suffering with trichiasis, but after her operation she looks happy and pain free. — Zuwaira lived most her adult life suffering with trichiasis, but after her operation she looks happy and pain-free.

For decades Zuwaira couldn’t get the help she needed. Until one day Surayya, a local case finder, visited Zuwaira’s community in Nigeria.

Surayya had just been trained by Sightsavers’ local partners to screen for trichiasis in her community. Surayya and other case finders are taught safety procedures such as no-touch eye examinations – and have been given equipment to protect themselves and others during their vital, sight-saving work.

For one last time, Zuwaira needed help to walk somewhere – this time it was to the clinic for her eyelid surgery.

And after the operation, Zuwaira couldn’t believe the change in her vision. “Before I couldn’t raise my eyes. Now I can see that door and all the other doors around.”

We know that trichiasis erodes independence, and takes away people’s ability to work and support their family.

With your kind support today, more people like Zuwaira could get their sight back – and all the good things that come with it. Will you give a gift to Sightsavers today?

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.

Help more communities in Nigeria

I would like to make a donation

close up of hands holding a tube of ointment which is used for trachoma infections.

€5

a month, in a year could provide a full course of eye ointment to 60 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

Case finder Surayya holds a torch while examining a woman's eyes (Zuraira's) who is holding up her eyelid.

€7

a month, in a year could help community case finders like Surayya screen 42 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

€9

a month, in a year, could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

a month, in a year could provide a full course of eye ointment to 60 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

a month, in a year could help community case finders like Surayya screen 42 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

a month, in a year, could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

€

We're sorry, but the minimum donation we can take is €3

We're sorry, but we cannot process a donation of this size online. Please contact us on [email protected] for assistance donating over €10,000

€34

could provide a full course of eye ointment to 34 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

€70

could help community case finders like Surayya screen 35 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

€112

could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

could provide a full course of eye ointment to 34 people to treat their active trachoma infection.

could help community case finders like Surayya screen 35 people for trichiasis, and identify those in need of surgery.

could help someone like Zuwaira to have eyelid surgery to treat their trichiasis and restore their independence.

€

We're sorry, but the minimum donation we can take is €3

We're sorry, but we cannot process a donation of this size online. Please contact us on [email protected] for assistance donating over €10,000

We protect sight, fight disease and make sure everyone can claim their rights.

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Zuwaira lived a life in pain

Will you help more people like Zuwaira have their sight and independence restored?

For Zuwaira, trichiasis meant agonising pain and losing her independence.

Donate now

For Zuwaira, trichiasis meant agonising pain and losing her independence.

Help more communities in Nigeria

Protecting sight, fighting disease and promoting equality for all