I’ve recently learned that I’m slightly short-sighted – nothing serious, but it’s my first foray into the world of spectacles. I’m not exactly a fan of how glasses look on me, but I really notice a difference when I’m wearing them. In this country, we’ve got it easy really. You pop to the opticians every couple of years, hand over a bit of cash and you can see clearly again. If it’s something worse, you just pop to your NHS hospital and get your treatment there and then.
In the developing world, it doesn’t work like that. There’s millions of people out there with reversible eye conditions who simply can’t get the help they need. This is where Sightsavers come in. They help millions of people with potentially blinding conditions. Last year alone, they helped 3.7 millions people.
My recent trip to the opticians has really brought home what my eyesight means to me. Without it I couldn’t appreciate photography and I’d probably have to give up my job. There are a few blind photographers out there, but I’m not sure I’m cut out to be one of them. Helen and I were married a couple of years ago, and we still bring out our wedding photographs to look at every now and again. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like if I had wedding photographs that I’d never be able to look at again.
I’m not here to ask you for money. I’m here to ask you to just think about what your eyesight means to you and how much easy access we have in the developing world to treatments. I know a number of professional photographers read this blog – think about your livelihood. Think about not being able to see another photograph ever again.
In order to show my support for Sightsavers International and the work they do, I’ve decided to team up with some friends to undertake the Three Peaks Challenge in June. If you don’t know what the challenge entails, its basically climbing three mountains in under 24 hours (including travelling between them!). Until about two weeks ago, I’d never even seen a mountain before so its a massive undertaking for me.
If you’d like to know how our training is going, and how we’re progressing on the day itself, we’ve got a website set up at www.geeksandpeaks.com. I’ll be sure to take some photos for you all.
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