Relief for Human Suffering Foundation (R4HSF) and its local partner, St. Thomas Eye Hospital (STEH) have provided free eye screening for almost 150 individuals in Accra. The team also restored sight to about 33 individuals during its one-day medical outreach event.

The US-based nonprofit organisation held the exercise on January 17, 2024, at Mataheko.

Speaking during the exercise, the founder and president of the Relief for Human Suffering Foundation, Benson Fayehun said the organization was working to ensure the exercise becomes more regular.

He said measures were also being put in place to ensure more people are supported.

"Any day we have a chance to help folks less privileged than ourselves is a great day. But the chance to experience the pure joy that comes from blindness to sight transformation is a privilege you can only fully understand through personal experience. To have a chance to do so with 33 different people in one day is likely a once in a lifetime opportunity out of reach of many and for which I am extremely grateful," he said.

Some beneficiaries also used the opportunity to express their gratitude to the organisation.

According to Frank, a 59-year-old resident who is also a pastor, this second cataract surgery completed his full sight restoration journey after 20 years. "I was living in darkness, but I didn't even know it. I am so grateful that this veil of darkness has been lifted. Words cannot express my joy," he added.

Frank‘s story wasn't a solitary ray; it was a chorus echoed by the 32 others who benefited from free surgery and received their sight during the one-day event.

Evans, a 50-year-old trader and father of three from Accra was relying on others for everyday support due to bilateral cataracts. His first surgery in December brought back sight to one eye, and on the day of the event, he received the gift of sight in the other.

His excitement for this second surgery was palpable, a contrast to the darkness he lived in for so long.

"I can cross the road, cook for my kids, even see their faces clearly again," Evans said while beaming with smiles.

Currently, the R4HSF-STEH collaboration has touched hundreds of lives since August 2023, with over 3,500 free eye screenings and close to 200 surgeries completed.

Touching on this, the Medical Director of STEH, Dr. Michael Gyasi said the facility was ever ready to work with the organisation so more Ghanaians can benefit.

“R4HSF's arrival has rekindled the very flame that ignited STEH's mission: equitable access to quality eye care for all, regardless of circumstance. Witnessing countless lives transformed in recent months – people from forgotten communities stepping into our hospital with hope in their eyes, yearning for a vibrant future – has been a profound testament to this shared purpose."

“These stories are but ripples in a vast ocean, yet they carry the profound weight of collective human will, pushing back against the tide of preventable blindness. Each restored vision isn't just a victory for an individual, it's a beacon of hope for all waiting patiently in the line for sight. To R4HSF and Mr. Fayehun, the gratitude of these beneficiaries, and the countless others still awaiting their turn, runs deep and everlasting," he added.