Eyes2Eyes

The people we serve

Some of the wonderful people we have met and helped so far in our journey.

Daniel

Daniel

Daniel’s mom Carleen shares regular updates with us. “Restoring his sight has changed his world – he is more outgoing and loving being able to play soccer with his friends. He’s also now captain of his school Chess team! This term, he got a bachelor’s pass at school. The foundation and all involved will always be in our prayers”.
Cee Jay Syms

Cee Jay Syms

This talented young artist stole many hearts! Mom Michelle shares “Cee Jay’s journey as an independent young man, not needing my constant help to act as his eyes, is unfolding. He is so happy exploring the outdoors and was super excited to see his older sister’s face clearly”. It’s a delight to see this young man walk with his head held high. When we first met him, he stared at the floor and seldom made eye contact.
Khanya

Khanya

This bubbly young woman had not seen faces or her surroundings for over 10 years! When she was fitted with her custom designed scleral lenses, she was overcome with emotion. She suddenly looked up at the screen alongside her and shouted “I can see, I can read! This is a new life for me – a new life is beginning”. Khanya can now go back to college to complete her final subject – she knows her education is important for her future. Without her sight, finding a job was going to be really tough!
Zethu

Zethu

Zethu is a 16-year-old school child. Her vision loss due to keratoconus was making school a real challenge. Like all our beneficiaries, glasses and ordinary scleral lenses could not restore her sight. Her mom says her grades in school have improved dramatically and her confidence is growing in leaps and bounds now that she can see again. She’s become totally independent and no longer relies on her mom for help!
Joze

Joze

This young guy travelled all the way from George each month to his appointments at the Groote Schuur Cornea Clinic. His commitment to attending every follow up appointment to check the fit of his lenses and his eye health was remarkable. He has very steep cones due to keratoconus, so it took some time to make adjustments to his lenses to get a brilliant fit. Joze is studying Criminal Justice through UNISA. Now that he can see, studying is so much easier to manage. He doesn’t have to rely on huge type and work with his face right in the computer screen. Joze is an active member of our support group, helping others and offering them encouragement on their journeys to sight restoration! He has also raised money for Eyes2Eyes by hosting a “gratitude” party with his family.
Shireen

Shireen

A mom of two young girls, Shireen was really finding life challenging living without sight. Her vision was so poor it was not safe for her to walk her children to school. She couldn’t read the signs at the bus stop and felt very vulnerable outdoors. One of her greatest wishes, was to be able to read to her children and help them with their homework. She had to stop working because of her sight loss and life became very isolated for her. Today, Shireen’s sight is restored and she is confident in walking her children to school and can even read price tags in the supermarkets! “My life has changed so much for the good – I can’t thank you enough for this amazing gift”.
Essa Noor

Essa Noor

I could only detect light in my Left Eye and had less than 30% vision in my Right eye. Today I am able to qualify for for drivers license as my customised scleral lenses have restored my sight. I never dreamed this was possible. My life is so much clearer in every respect thanks to the gift of sight. Thanks to the Eyes to Eyes team for their support - for offering me hope and shedding light on my journey with keratoconus.
Jade Small

Jade Small

Jade was our first very applicant - She has advanced keratoconus in her left eye. She could only detect light with this eye when we first assessed her. With her custom fit scleral lens, her vision improved to 6/9. (6/6 or 20/20 vision is "perfect" vision) 6/9 vision is the minimum vision required to drive a car. Her sight restoration is miraculous. Jade works shifts as a call centre agent. She loves spending time with her family and having her sight restored has given her so much more freedom.
Abdul

Abdul

Abdul is the youngest of our beneficiaries - at only 8 years old, he was really battling to understand why he couldn't go outdoors and play like the other kids. Life was restricted to being indoors, with his mom close by. Because he is so young, his Mom, Hilkas, has been trained to insert his lens. Pretty soon, we hope he will be able to manage this on his own. The last photo Hilkas shared with us showed a very grown up young guy, looking a lot more confident! He's really happy to be able to explore the outdoors with other kids.
Sese Mehlala

Sese Mahlala

It's so wonderful to be able to walk down stairs alone without worrying about falling. I've got my independence back - I can even go the the ATM and draw money on my own without someone helping me. It's incredible to see my face when I look in the mirror - I can even apply my own makeup and choose my own clothes each day. At Eyes2Eyes we are like a family and I have made new friends with other beneficiaries. We all help each other.
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