Photo by Joe Raffanti: From the age of two, David Mukisa from Busia, Uganda, lived with poor eyesight, affecting every aspect of his young life. When he was seven, his mother joined a group traveling to Seva-supported Benedictine Eye Hospital. There, he was diagnosed with cataracts, and received bilateral cataract surgeries for free. “Fortunately he could be treated, even though I didn’t have money,” said David’s mom Alexia. ”A great weight has been lifted from my heart.”
Last month, the Seva Foundation and The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness released a groundbreaking report revealing a striking truth:
Children with vision loss learn at half the rate of those with good or corrected vision. Put another way – every year, 6.3 million school years are lost due to uncorrected vision, amounting to $173 billion in future earnings each year. Imagine the impact if those kids could simply see the board. What innovations would emerge? What challenges could these young minds overcome?
Glasses. Chances are better than 50% that you, dear reader, rely on something to correct your refractive error (near- or far-sightedness) like contacts, prescription glasses, or readers. You may even have a few pairs stashed in your car, office, or workshop. But in low- and middle-income countries, refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment in both kids and adults, and glasses aren’t so accessible.
This past June, we wished Seva “original” Suzanne Gilbert a fulfilling retirement. As Senior Director of Research and Strategic Opportunities, Suzanne led Seva’s efforts to bring good science and research to the work she supported for over 47 years. Suzanne’s legacy of commitment to teaching and innovating local communities through training for excellence has been pivotal in the expansion of eye care systems now spanning the globe.
Across low-and-middle-income countries, less than half of 10-year-old children can read. This alarming phenomenon has been labelled by education experts around the world as the global ‘learning crisis’: A bitter-sweet situation in which we have achieved near universal primary education, including gender parity, but in which children are not achieving sufficient mastery of basic literacy and numeracy.
Policymakers will need to use a variety of tools to address the learning deficit. One promising but under-considered intervention is hiding in plain sight: eyeglasses.
My name is Suzanne Gilbert. For the last 45 years, I’ve had the most rewarding job in the world, with the most remarkable people, at the most resilient organization: the Seva Foundation.
I’ve been with Seva…well, before it was even called Seva! Over the years, I’ve worn many hats, from Co-Founder to volunteer to Executive Director, Program Director, and in recent years as Senior Director of Research.This month, I’ll be retiring from the organization.
As I wind down these last few weeks, I’ve dug through the archives, recalling touching Seva stories and the people behind them. Seva’s stellar Communications Team asked if I’d share some of my journey with you.
What did five decades in public health teach me? Well, beyond dancing back-up for Wavy Gravy (true story!), it really boils down to this: learning how to see the possible in the impossible.
In the late 70s, when we first told people our aim to eliminate avoidable blindness, they thought we were nuts. “You can’t do it, that’s not going to happen, is that even a problem?” Some just asked “how?” And to be honest, we hadn’t gotten that far in our plan yet. We just had this vision, first steps, kept going, and attracted colleagues who shared our same goal.
Building and scaling self-sustaining eye care programs worldwide is no small feat. What’s stood resolute across five decades is Seva’s firm commitment to compassion, science and service – individually great, but combined? Potent to create lasting change. Today, Seva has grown into a leading authority in public health, tens of thousands of supporters strong, and 57 million people served across over 20 countries.
I’m heartened with all we’ve achieved together – but it’s behind the scenes where some of my favorite memories are, and where the “Seva magic” often happens: talks late into the night to truly hear each other, experiencing the ground realities of partners around the world, and the unexpected surprises along the way (turns out there’s a lot of them in public health!). Hope you enjoy these few memories.
Only social equity, stronger economies, and rediscovered dignity.
Photo by Joe Raffanti.
Eyesight influences most aspects of daily life, from the playground to the job-site, infancy to old age. It’s alarming, then, that one-quarter of the global population – 2.2 billion people – are living with vision impairment, and only half of those get the care they need. More women are affected than men, and the numbers increase sharply with age. Without significant investment in preventative actions, these numbers are projected to increase to 1.8 billion by 2050, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
This is a historic moment for Seva, the eye care landscape, and the global development arena.
Seva’s groundbreaking new report, developed alongside Harvard economist Brad Wong, proves investment in eye health is one of the most cost-effective interventions to generate benefits across society.
As a public health organization that has been active for over 40 years in 20+ countries, Seva has amassed a great deal of information pertaining to the safe and effective delivery of eye care. To bring this knowledge to the forefront, Seva recently sponsored the Lancet Commission Report on Global Eye Health and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’ Vision Atlas. This groundbreaking new report and research tool provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of eye care and a roadmap for how to proceed in creating a world free of avoidable blindness.
