|
Citizen Posts
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Kevin Acila had built her entire world in darkness; but it was a darkness she had learned to navigate with remarkable strength. She was just 17 when her vision began to fade. What started as a blur slowly turned into darkness, until she could no longer recognize faces, paths, or even her own reflection.
In a rural community where access to specialized healthcare is limited, Acila’s condition remained untreated, unnamed, and misunderstood.
Despite this, life moved on and in 2018 she married Yubu Akwanga, a man who at the time did not know she was blind but who chose to stay even after discovering the truth. Their marriage growing into a family of five children including a set of twins.
She describes her husband as a “peaceful and happy man” who is ever calm. Despite having a supportive husband, her 57 years old father in- law, Felix Orech was particularly not happy. Orech said he was disappointed especially after seeing how Acila struggled with “simple” household chores.
Even when he hated the fact that she is blind, Orech made a bold decision to bring his daughter in-law to live in his compound instead of her husband’s house. He also fought the urge of having his son marry a second wife to take care of the children Kevin bore.
Acila’s daily life though, was marked by struggle as simple chores like cooking, washing, or digging became overwhelming tasks, she often got lost returning from the market and depended heavily on others, her condition silently shaping not just her life but the wellbeing of her household. All her children are raised under the care of a mother who had never seen their faces.
She emotionally narrated how at one point she nearly fell on her sleeping child after stumbling on a jerrican of water inside her house. Yubu Akwanga, Acila’s husband said he had to learn to take care of the family, starting from garden work to cooking and taking care of the children because his wife could not do it.
Hope came through a simple radio announcement about a free eye surgical camp organized by Lira Regional Referral Hospital in collaboration with the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology and the Amolatar District Health Office, prompting Kevin and her family to seek help.
At the outreach, she was among 96 patients screened and diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes, a condition that had left her completely blind. Cataract occurs when the eye lens becomes opaque preventing light from reaching the retina and the only effective treatment is surgery to replace the damaged lens.
Acila was listed for surgery and operated on March 24th 2026, an intervention that would mark a turning point in her life. By the following day, she had started to see again, a moment that stunned both her and the medical team.
Dr. Shamiim Namwase, an ophthalmologist and head of the department at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, recalls how Kevin had been breastfeeding a baby despite having very poor perception of light. “I actually thought she had an associated mental condition which apparently she didn’t have, and we don’t have that connection between poor vision and drilling of saliva.”
Without a good medical history, the surgeons trusted their instincts to give Acila back her vision. “Since she was 30 years old, we were not sure if those cataracts had developed when she was younger, even the history was not very good,” said Dr. Namwase.
She added, saying “the husband reported that he got her when she was already having the poor vision so, we were just taking a leap of faith to operate and see if she will regain her sight the following day.”
Despite those challenges, Dr. Namwase described Acila’s surgery as “very successful” because she could only perceive light but after surgery her vision improved significantly, with follow-up assessments showing she could read several lines on a visual acuity chart, a strong indicator of successful recovery.
For the medical team, her case stood out not only because of the severity of her condition but also the resilience she had shown over the years, carrying pregnancies, raising children and maintaining a home while completely blind.
Health workers say such cases are not uncommon. Isaac Junior Ekwan, a clinical officer at Lira Regional Referral Hospital and programs manager with Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, explains that cataract remains one of the leading causes of blindness and a major contributor to poverty in communities since those affected are unable to be productive.
“I want everyone in Uganda to know that cataract as much as we know it is a blinding condition it does not cause permanent blindness. It causes blindness that can be reversed by surgery,” he explained.
Ekwan implored the community of Lango sub-region and beyond to prioritize their visual health, saying opportunities for surgeries and treatment are always available.
During the five-day outreach in Amolatar District, 31 patients were operated on, 29 of them with cataracts, part of ongoing efforts to bring services closer to rural populations. Another outreach conducted in Kwania District saw 100 people regaining their vision after successful surgeries.
In 2025, 841 patients had successful eye surgeries for both cataract and conditions like conjunctival growth which requires just an excision to have it removed. Dr. Andrew Odur, Acting Director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, described the hospital’s ophthalmology department as one “that is causing a change and touching lives.”
He disclosed the hospital’s plan of improving ophthalmology services for the communities of Lango and beyond.
Medical experts emphasize that cataract, though a leading cause of blindness globally and in Uganda, is reversible through surgery, yet many people delay seeking treatment due to myths and misconceptions including fears that surgery involves removing the eye or replacing it with artificial parts.
Dr. Shamiim notes that such beliefs are gradually fading as more patients regain sight and share their experiences, becoming living proof within their communities that treatment is safe and effective. For Acila, the transformation is already evident as she begins to reclaim her independence, able to move freely, carry out household chores and most importantly see her children grow before her eyes.
Her story now stands as both a testimony and a call to action, a reminder that blindness caused by cataract does not have to be permanent and that with timely intervention, lives can be restored.
Source: URN
If you have a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via citizenposts24@gmail.com. Follow our WhatsApp Channel HERE to see more of our stories.
