A ‘HUMBLED’ Coventry optician has donated specs, frames and eye drops to a charity in Pakistan – following a ‘rewarding’ visit during which he provided eye care to some of the poorest areas in the world.
Optometrist Hasnain Rafique, who works at Specsavers Coventry and Coventry Arena, travelled out to the country to oversee the running of an eye camp, helping to identify eye diseases and those in need of cataract surgery.
The trip was organised alongside Pakistan-based charity the RISE Foundation.
While in Pakistan, Hasnain and the other volunteers saw around 2,000 people, none of whom had ever had an eye test in their lives.
He said: “I have been attending eye camps over the past few years and being able to provide eye care to some of the poorest regions in the world is a humbling and rewarding experience.
“In the eye camp, 100 per cent of patients that were seen had never had an eye test in their lives, the majority being 60 plus years old.
“It has shown me how lucky we are in the UK to have such readily available access to eye care and not to take it for granted.
“It’s also wonderful that Specsavers is able to reach even the most desolate and isolated regions of the world to help others with the resources they have. I am glad to be a part of something that will last a lifetime.”
