Tanzanian boy with low vision using a magnifier at school. Photo courtesy of David de Wit

Next week, Seva will ship 122 special low vision devices such as magnifiers to Tanzania. The equipment, worth $4,000, was generously donated to Seva by the Children's Low Vision Project of British Columbia. We are very grateful to Lynn Langille, the Program Coordinator at the Children's Low Vision project, and her colleagues. The low vision devices are being sent to Seva's partner in eastern Africa, the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, and will be distributed by KCCO to various eye care programs and blind schools in Tanzania and Malawi. Normal vision is known as "20/20". This simply means that the eye being tested is able to see an object at 20 feet as well as any eye with very good vision. If you have 20/60 vision, this means you can see at 20 feet what a person with good vision can see at 60 feet. If you have vision that is between 20/60 and 20/190, it is called being partially sighted or having low vision. Children with uncorrected vision conditions or eye health problems face many barriers in life, especially in developing countries. Vision doesn't just happen. A child's brain learns how to use eyes to see, just like it learns how to use legs to walk or a mouth to talk. The longer a vision problem goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more a child's brain learns to accommodate the vision problem. Seva Canada’s vision is a world in which no one is needlessly blind or visually impaired and where those with unavoidable vision loss can achieve their full potential. Thank you also to Air France - KLM Cargo and to Worldwide Animal Travel of Vancouver for once again shipping vital eye care materials to Tanzania.

African boy with low vision trying to read. Photo courtesy of David de Wit