Siddhu Bohara of Dhalaun in Saipal Rural Municipality-2, Bajhang has been living in darkness for the last seven years. Siddhu frequently falls down inside his house and has injured himself. Though medics at the local health post advised Siddhu’s  family members to take him to an eye hospital for treatment, there’s no one to take him to the facility.

People have to walk around three days to reach Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang, from Dhalaun. As the financial condition of Siddhu’s family is poor, he has been deprived of treatment. Siddhu hopes that someone will organise an eye camp in his village. “When will the government arrive here?” he asked.

Punge Dhami, 84, said he has eye problems too. “I have an ability to walk properly at my old age but I am frightened to move from one place to another because of blindness,” said Punge. He lost his vision four years ago.

There are many other people in Saipal Rural Municipality who have problems in sight. “A majority of the senior citizens here show the symptoms of cataract,” said Dambar Bahadur Khadka, in charge of the Kanda Health Post , adding that most of their problems can be treated.

Among the 500 senior citizens in Saipal, more than 300 have vision problems. The total population of Saipal is around 2,500. Health worker Janak Kumar Bista said around 80 percent of the people, who are living with various eye problems in Saipal, can regain their vision if an eye camp is organised there.

Free eye check camp in Dadeldhura

DADELDHURA: Nawadurga of Dadeldhura has organised free eye check camps in all the five wards of the rural municipality. Chairman Kabindra Bista of the rural municipality said they found more eye patients than expected before.

“Eye camps have become effective here,” said Bista. Last year, the Nawadurga Rural Municipality treated more than 1,000 cases of eye problems free of cost. This year, we have already provided treatment for 1,300 eye patients, said Bista.