A daily wage labourer, Safil lost his sight to cataracts and became fully dependent on his wife and daughter. With no resources for treatment and no one to turn to, he quietly accepted a life of stillness, silence, fading hope, and growing isolation.

Life Reclaimed

He cooks tea for his wife Nuri, and often shares a quiet smile of relief.

I no longer have to wait for someone to hold my hand,” he says softly, his eyes steady and clear.

For nearly a year, Safil had lost his independence. A cataract in both eyes had left him almost completely blind.

Once a hardworking labourer in Kahbara Bishunpur in Bihar’s Purnea district, Bihar, he became fully dependent on his wife and youngest daughter.

After a free surgery by Akhand Jyoti—supported by our partners—he not only regained his sight, but also reclaimed his role as a self-reliant husband and father.

A Home Silenced by Blindness

At 56, Safil was no stranger to struggle. He and Nuri, his wife had led a modest life—he worked as a daily wage labourer in the fields and nearby factories, and Nuri managed their small home. All three of their daughters were married.

But everything changed when Safil began losing his vision.

“It started slowly. I would miss steps, misplace things... I thought it was just age,” he recalls.

But the blur didn’t fade. It thickened—until he could no longer walk without support or manage simple tasks.

He had to stop working.

With no income, and no money for treatment, Safil’s world closed in.

I had to ask my wife to take me to the toilet. I stopped stepping outside. I felt useless.

Seeing his condition worsen, his youngest daughter moved back home to support them.

It broke me, he says.

She had her own life, and now she was working in fields to feed me. I felt like a burden.

The Turn of Hope

One day, a community health volunteer announced a free eye screening camp by Akhand Jyoti in his village.

I didn’t believe it at first. Free surgery? That too, for someone like me? Safil remembers.

But he came. Nervous and unsure, he was screened, diagnosed with cataracts, and selected for surgery.

On arriving at the hospital, he was surprised.

Everyone treated me with so much respect—from the girls doing the eye check-up to the doctors. I wasn’t just another poor man. I was someone they cared for.

Restoring Dignity, Not Just Vision

Safil’s surgery was a success. The day he opened his eyes and saw his daughter’s face clearly again, he cried.

I didn’t say anything. Just touched her forehead and smiled, he says.

That moment changed everything.

He no longer needs help to walk, wash, or work. His daughter has returned to her in-laws.

She calls every day. She’s proud of me again, he adds.

A Life Back on Its Feet

Today, Safil is back to doing what he always did—working when he can, helping at home, walking with dignity.

I never thought I’d live like this again. I open the door myself now. That is enough for me.

Join Us in Realising Vision 2030

Under our Vision 2030, Akhand Jyoti aims to eliminate curable blindness by performing 2 million free eye surgeries, reaching 12 million individuals, and empowering 1,500 rural girls to become optometrists and change-makers.

You can be part of this transformative journey.

Gift someone the ability to see again.

Your support can help restore sight, dignity, and independence to someone who needs it most.

Donate nowto sponsor a free eye surgery and become a partner in creating a blindness-free, empowered rural India.