Philanthropist doctor using reconditioned eyeglasses to help the poor

Doctor Soroya Janmohamed (4th right) with some of the children who benefited from the eye camp she organised at Don Bosco Boys' Centre, Nairobi. Soroya collects used eyeglasses from friends and family members in Kenya, Dubai, India, and Syria among other parts of the world so that she can then offer them to those in need but cannot afford to buy them due to prohibitive prices. PHOTO/MERCY GAKII  NAIROBI

In Summary

• Trained in United Kingdom, she came back to her homeland Kenya and teamed up with the Rotary Clubs so that she could do something to help other people.
• After receiving the used eye glasses and frames, the optometrist checks them to ensure that they are still in usable condition.
• Recently, she set up an eye camp at the Don Bosco Boys’ Centre.
• Most of these children consistently perform poorly in school because they cannot see clearly.
• Soroya's passion to help needy societies has seen her work in the UK, Kenya, Turkey and India.

By MERCY GAKII
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If you woke up one morning, and all you saw is darkness around you, then you should conclude that you have lost the power of sight.

That would effectively mean that the rest of your days may be spent with a sight challenge.

But Dr Soroya Janmohamed, an optometrist, is working hard to assist people keep good eyesight, and treat conditions of the eye.

Trained in United Kingdom, she came back to her homeland Kenya and teamed up with the Rotary Clubs so that she could do something to help other people.

Since 2008, she has dedicated her time, services and eye wear to serve hundreds of poor people whose eyesight was otherwise at risk.

USED EYEGLASSES

Soroya collects used eyeglasses from friends and family members in Kenya, Dubai, India, and Syria among other parts of the world so that she can then offer them to those in need but cannot afford to buy them due to prohibitive prices.

After receiving the used eye glasses and frames, the optometrist checks them to ensure that they are still in usable condition.

She then removes the old lenses and reworks on the shape of the frame in order to give it a good fit, even for a younger user.

After that she sets out on her charity work.

Recently, she set up an eye camp at the Don Bosco Boys’ Centre.

This is a centre for former street boys.

When treating her patients, she checks for any eye disorders, and then prescribes treatment.

VISION CORRECTION

Dr Soroya Janmohamed examines a boy’s eyes at the eye camp held at Don Bosco, Nairobi. PHOTO/MERCY GAKII

Children who need vision correction are given a free vision test, medication and a free pair of glasses that match their prescription.

During the eye camp, many of the boys who were attended to got free eye glasses for their eye conditions.

Soroya observes that that poor vision affects people’s quality of life and especially children.

It can lead to poor performance in school, delay in development, learning disabilities and even juvenile delinquency.

“At least half of the children in institutions for the blind in Africa would be able to read normal to large prints if they had the correct eyeglasses," she says.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 200 million people worldwide are in need of eye glasses but many especially from Africa cannot afford basic necessities leave alone a pair of new eyeglasses.

She added that adults with vision problems are limited a lot in the way they perform their daily activities, depriving them of an adequate lifestyle while, ironically, almost four million pairs of functional glasses are thrown away each year in America.

Father Neville Luis, a director at the Don Bosco Boys’ Centre said that poor eyesight is always overlooked.

He is convinced that the eye check-up, medication and eye glasses will transform the boys at the school by enabling them to benefit from education and other activities such as sports.

DRUG ABUSE

The Don Bosco Boys’ Centre is home to rescued street children some of who suffer from eye problems due to their abuse of drugs while on the streets.

Most of these children consistently perform poorly in school because they cannot see clearly.

Soroya has over a decade of experience in her work, with 15 years of practice as an optician.

She hopes that she can improve eye healthcare and eliminate preventable blindness through the provision of eye care services and eye health education programmes to medically underserved communities.

Soroya's passion to help needy societies has seen her work in the UK, Kenya, Turkey and Indi