Krishna's Story

A life interrupted by cataract

Krishna is a farmer living in a remote village in Nepal. For most of his life, he worked his fields to provide food and income for his family. But when cataracts clouded his eyes and stole his sight, his world closed in. He was forced to stop farming. Their land lay idle, and the family’s income disappeared.

His wife, Mitthu, became his carer. She guided him through daily life — helping him eat, farm, and simply stay steady on his feet.

“Because he can’t see, he makes a mess, spilling seeds and making a lot of mistakes,” Mitthu says. Their partnership, once built on shared work, became a daily struggle for survival.

The long road to treatment

Blindness meant Krishna depended on Mitthu to guide him through life.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

For years, eye care was completely out of reach. The nearest hospital was hours away by rough roads, and the family couldn’t afford the journey or the surgery.

Mitthu knew this struggle well — she had once travelled the same long route for her own cataract operation. The cost, the distance, and the stress made it impossible for Krishna to do the same.

In rural Nepal, this story is far too common. Millions of people live in remote areas without access to local hospitals or clinics. A simple cataract that could be treated in a 20-minute operation becomes a lifetime of blindness.

The crisis of blindness in Nepal

Krishna undergoes cataract surgery with Dr Rheeta — a simple 20-minute operation that will give him back his sight

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

The need for eye care in Nepal is urgent. More than 93,000 people are blind and over 1.1 million live with vision loss. Women over 50 are most affected. Cataracts are the leading cause — and shockingly, 84% of blindness in Nepal is avoidable.

The shortage of eye health specialists makes the problem worse. Nepal has a population of nearly 30 million people, yet there are only 16 ophthalmologists working in public hospitals. The World Health Organization recommends at least 120 ophthalmologists to meet even the most basic level of care. Right now, people like Krishna are going blind simply because there’s no one available to treat them.

The moment everything changed

Dr Reeta shares in Krishna’s joy as he sees again for the first time in years

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

When a new eye hospital, Nijgadh Community Eye Hospital, finally opened near Krishna’s village, his life took a turn. For the first time, surgery was within reach.

The day of the operation, Krishna was nervous but hopeful. After years of darkness, he sat quietly as doctors worked to remove the cataracts clouding his eyes.

The next morning, with Mitthu at his side, the bandages were carefully removed. Krishna blinked, then broke into tears. He could see again.

For the first time in years, he looked at Mitthu’s face. The woman who had been his guide, his caretaker, his lifeline — he could finally see her smile.

A proven solution: training and local care

There is hope for thousands more people like Krishna. The Fred Hollows Foundation, inspired by the work of Fred and his long-time friend Dr Sanduk Ruit in Nepal, is working to change this.

Together, Fred and Dr Ruit pioneered modern cataract surgery that costs as little as $25 and can restore sight in just minutes. They defied the medical establishment and proved that people in developing countries deserve — and can have — the same quality of care as those in wealthy nations.

By training local doctors, nurses, and health workers, and by building stronger health systems, The Foundation is making sure people in Nepal can get quality, affordable eye care close to home.

This means fewer families will suffer the way Krishna and Mitthu have — and more people will experience the joy of seeing their loved ones again.

With his sight back, Krishna and Mitthu can look toward the future with hope.

Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

Help end avoidable blindness in Nepal. Make a gift today, or become a Visionary to create lasting change.