“I feel very good and I like wearing my glasses”

Faryal was known as a bright, hardworking pupil at her school in Pakistan. But two years ago, her academic journey took an unexpected turn.

Her exam results plummeted, leaving her family and teachers stunned. The once-promising student was suddenly struggling, and no one knew why.

Like any 12 year old, Faryal has big hopes for the future. She says: “My dream is to become a cricketer so I can meet Babar Azam (Pakistani cricketer). Then my eyesight got weaker and I thought I wouldn’t be able to fulfil my dreams.”

“I really wept a lot and felt bad; I got very low marks,” explains Faryal. “During my exams, I was unable to read the papers, so I couldn’t understand the questions. I knew the answers to those questions; I could have got far better results. At that time, I was so tense and it really played on my mind how I would achieve my goals.”

Faryal’s mother, Farhat, said: “Faryal is really a helpful child. She has been good in her studies. But in the final examinations, she secured very low marks. I asked her what the reason was for her less marks in the final examinations. Her teacher once complained over the phone that Faryal’s performance was impacted.

She continues: “I was not satisfied with her performance. I reprimanded her for her poor performance and advised her to pay heed to her studies. She also complained about running eyes during that period, which was a frequent episode.”

Sightsavers’ programme in Pakistan is helping children to see and learn all over the country. We’re training teachers to give their students eye tests in school and also donating glasses to those who need them. Through the eye health programme, we’ve screened more than 175,000 children and trained nearly 900 teachers and assistants in Pakistan.

For Faryal, telling her teacher about her eyes watering led to her getting the eye test she desperately needed.

Nadia was one of the teachers who was trained to check the eyesight of students.

She says: “There were many issues with students’ eyesight. Many had near and far vision problems. Being a teacher, we didn’t know about eye screenings, but when we started them, it was found that many of the students, who appeared physically healthy, had very serious vision problems.

“After screening, many students were provided glasses and many of their problems were resolved. The initiative was very important as, without clear vision, the students were unable to progress.”

Farhat is full of praise for Nadia and the programme: “I thank the organisation for providing Faryal with spectacles, as we were unaware of her weak eyesight. It’s beneficial for her as a support for better results. It is a necessity and should not be overlooked.”