Blind Mother and Daughter See Each Other for First Time in Years Following Cataract Surgery on Africa Mercy
On this World Sight Day, a mother and daughter from a remote Malagasy village have experienced the joy of seeing each other clearly for the first time in years, thanks to a 15-minute cataract surgery aboard the Africa Mercy, the hospital ship operated by international charity Mercy Ships.
Marie Jeanne, aged 80, had been blind for three years, following the loss of seven of her eight children. Her daughter Germaine also began losing her sight a year later, leaving her unable to farm or care for her own children. “If I had a weak faith, I might have given up,” Germaine said.
Their journey to restored vision began when a family member heard about Mercy Ships on the radio. They travelled to Toamasina, where both mother and daughter underwent free cataract surgery on the same day.
Dr Guy Chevalley, their surgeon, explained: “Their cataracts were so advanced that their pupils were no longer black, but completely white.” Ophthalmic Program Manager Ella Hawthorne added, “They could only see movement, just a hand waving in front of them. That was it.”
The following morning, with eye patches still on, mother and daughter looked at each other side-by-side and were overwhelmed with tears of joy. “We no longer live in darkness,” Marie Jeanne said. “Our eyes can see, and our hearts are full of happiness!”
Since their surgeries, Marie Jeanne has returned to weaving raffia mats and hats, while Germaine is back to farming, participating actively in her church, and caring for her children.
Globally, an estimated 2.2 billion people live with vision impairment or blindness, with at least 1 billion cases preventable or treatable, according to the World Health Organization. Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to timely eye care is limited.
Ella Hawthorne reflected on the moment: “It was very emotional to see their happiness when the patches came off at the same time. To see someone truly, to spend time with them and have that taken away and then restored, is incredibly special.”
