Bringing sight to sore eyes...the journey starts here
In the late 1970's, a young child came to the UK with his family to escape the regime of Saddam Hussein. Educated in the UK, Haidar Al Hakim later trained as an Ophthalmic Surgeon at London University and Bart’s Hospital. In 2004, he returned with his father, a marine biologist, to Najaf, Iraq. They were shocked to find the lack of eye care expertise and facilities – and then only in private hospitals, way beyond the reach of the vast majority of the local populace. Haidar began to formulate his vision for the future: a special community ophthalmic clinic in Najaf. The community eye clinic would serve those most in need. Upon his return to England, and determined to make his vision a reality, Haidar, his father and a friend with long-term experience in the voluntary sector, Sharon Ridsdale founded Al Hasan Foundation. The charity has the following aims:
· Fund sight-saving treatment for women, children and the elderly
· Fully establish a community eye clinic in Najaf
· Upgrade essential ophthalmic equipment (including the purchase of at least one laser machine)
· Provide training opportunities for local surgeons
· Promote research into the prevention of blindness
So began the important work of the charity. Embarking on endless fund-raising and networking, and supported by an initial grant from the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Haidar made a series of trips over the next three years to Iraq. Providing cataract surgery and glaucoma treatment to needy patients, as well as demonstrating modern surgical techniques to local ophthalmic surgeons, Haidar progressed his aims considerably.
However, during a visit in 2007, Haidar sent this email to a colleague back in England:
“I enclose this picture of the elderly gentleman I treated before Christmas. I could only offer him partial treatment and he desperately needed urgent laser surgery: he has now gone blind. He could not afford the $300 or journey all the way to Baghdad where the only laser machine I know of is. So far I have turned away 52 patients in the last four weeks. Approximately 35% of the patients I see are children, young adults, the elderly; and I sit here and say I can’t help them...but I could if I had the equipment.”
This is why we have launched the ‘Bringing sight to sore eyes’ campaign: to raise the funding to buy and install the laser machine for the Najaf community eye clinic - as a major step forward in realising the aims of Al Hasan Foundation.
