Carlow opticians embarked on a significant journey to Kolkata in aid of The Hope Foundation

Three team members from Specsavers Carlow volunteered at The Hope Hospital Eye Clinic in Kolkata, India with the Hope Foundation at the end of 2023.

At the end of their week-long volunteering trip, Specsavers presented a cheque of €135,000 to founder of The Hope Foundation, Maureen Forrest, supporting 2,414 individuals living in Kolkata’s street and slum communities in India.

Among the volunteers, was Dolores O’Neill, Retail Director at Specsavers Carlow; Dolores Farrell, a Dispensing Optician at Specsavers Carlow; and Abby O’Neill, a Trainee Dispensing Optician at Specsavers Carlow.

One of those patients was Clara Halder, a 56-year-old community care giver. A hugely passionate reader, books have always been Clara’s escapism from reality, however in recent years she has struggled with deteriorating vision. What once brought her joy, reading now brought her terrible headaches. Without opportunity or spend to see an Optician or Doctor about her eyesight, she found herself having to sacrifice her passion of reading. However, when Specsavers came to her local community with the mobile Eye Clinic she queued to be seen and was overjoyed when she was prescribed glasses and given a pair on the spot to take home.

Speaking to Specsavers she said she 'can’t believe she gets to take these glasses home and for nothing in return. This is a gift that you cannot possibly understand the value of. This will bring me back my joy, my peace and it’s something for just me to have.'

Many of the individuals treated by Specsavers colleagues had never accessed such services before.

'90% of cases of blindness could have been prevented if timely treatment was available.' 

Eight-year-old Amaira Gulzar was brought to the Specsavers eye clinic where she spoke of sore eyes and headaches. On testing, it was clear that she needed glasses and of a very high prescription.

'Amaira had never realised that she couldn’t see clearly, assuming her vision was how all people saw things. On trying on glasses, she was overwhelmed and surprised, not quite believing the clarity she had been missing out on. Amaira was excited to get to school the next day to see how the blackboard would appear with her new glasses and was so thankful to Specsavers and Hope for giving her clear sight.'

For the people seen by Specsavers on this trip to Kolkata, having glasses can be a life changing tool, be it to help in their education or help them to obtain work to support their families.

A 57-year-old long-haul driver, Dannu Prasad Ladar is the sole provider for his family of a wife and three children. Struggling with cataracts in both eyes, Danny’s job was becoming increasingly challenging and stressful, not to mention dangerous. He had refrained from seeking medical intervention in fear that he would lose his job and his family’s source of income and also not be able to afford the healthcare.

He speaks of the night he stumbled upon the Specsavers Night Clinic as a 'blessing I will be eternally grateful for.'

Speaking of her trip to Kolkata, Dolores O’Neill says, 'During our trip to Kolkata, we had a real chance to make a difference there, and if only every one of us helped one person less fortunate than us, the world would certainly be a better place. So, the fact that 28 of us came here and did what we did is amazing. We are making people smile and giving them joy, which gives them hope for their future. It makes you believe in hope again.'

Maureen Forrest, Founder of the Hope Foundation explains that this programme 'is the difference between life and death to people who can’t feed their families. Vision is everything to people and for us to be able to support them in their vision journey is a great privilege.'

In addition to the staff from Specsavers, four optometry students from Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Eimear Kilroy, Irene Finnerty, Brid Stack, and Ava Shiels and Paula James along with their Lecturer and Head of Optometry, Declan Hovenden travelled to Kolkata.

'The Hope Foundation Ireland is a registered Irish charity working with street and slum children in Kolkata. The charity works to free children and poor families from lives of pain, abuse, poverty, and darkness and seeks to improve their lives by providing access to healthcare and nutrition, education, drug rehabilitation and life skills and training.  With the help of Specsavers and The Hope Foundation, improved eye care will be made available to the children living in slums and hospitals in Kolkata.'