What are the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen?
The beaches of Harris. The churches of Prague. That view you get of the Tyne as you cross the rail bridge heading north into Newcastle. An Arctic sunrise. A Greek sea. Every painting by Alison Watt. The way petrol in a puddle makes rainbows, and how it sidewinds slowly across a yard. Johnny Depp’s cheekbones. Fireflies. The Edinburgh Meadows in late afternoon, hazy with smoke from all those barbecues. My husband’s hands. My son’s smile. An angel’s wing icicle hanging from a wire. Flowers on the machair. White umbrellas in a crowd. Beckham’s goal from the halfway line in 96.
My sight is not great.
When I sit down in the stiff, squeaking optician’s chair, and he asks me to read the chart line by line, I can’t even see the big letter at the top. The whole thing is a fuzz of grey.
But I am lucky. Every day for the last twenty years I have had help to see. From the chunky plastic frames with bottle top lenses that were free on the NHS, to my night and day contact lenses, so comfortable I sometimes forget I’m wearing them. From prescription sunnies, to purple Lindbergs, and at every annual checkup – I am so grateful for the care I have received. My glasses are magical things that turn my world from a meaningless blur to a place of clarity. They don’t just let me see beautiful sights, they let me read the expressions on people’s faces, drive safely, and cook dinner for my son. I don’t know how I would live without them.
Unfortunately, many people don’t have the same access to healthcare that I do.
80 per cent of all blindness could be prevented or cured. That’s over 31 million people, most of whom live in the poorest countries in the world, who go blind unnecessarily. And with poverty being both a cause and effect of blindness, a cycle is created that can be hard for communities to break out of. SightSavers can break this cycle with straightforward operations costing £8-£28 or annual doses of antibiotics costing 7p-35p per person. If you’re moved to give someone their sight please visit the Sightsavers website and donate today.
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I’ve written this post as part of the @Sightsavers #MySight campaign. To read posts from other bloggers about what their sight means to them, please pop over to Becky at Baby Budgeting, who is hosting a link-up.
Dorkymum | Stories from Tasmania 
We are so lucky aren’t we that things can be done to support our vision. Thanks so much for being part of the @sightsavers #mysight campaign Ruth. So important x
Thanks for asking me to be involved Becky 🙂 x
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Oh I am so thankful for my specs and contact lenses, great post and great campaign – will share x
Thanks for sharing you lovely lady x
Oh my goodness Ruth that a staggering percentage, something that I honestly had never really thought about.
Now I am reminiscing over my NHS pink chunky glasses as a child! Heading over to their site now x
Ahh yes, I suppose everyone has to start somewhere with their glasses! Pink and chunky is exactly what mine were like – they’ve come a long way though haven’t they – you can get some gorgeous frames for kids now x
I am still chuckling about Johnny Depp’s cheekbones!
My glasses allow me to cross the road ….. and like Mammasaurus, I definitely had some questionable frames as a child!!
They’re definitely worthy of inclusion, no?! x
We are very lucky indeed and take so many things for granted. Totally agree with Johnny Depp’s cheekbones… what a fine specimen of a man 🙂 x
🙂 thanks for reading & commenting lovely x
I’m with you on Johnny Depp’s cheekbones too!
Great post Ruth. x
Thanks Liz! It’s a great campaign 🙂 x
Thanks Ruth, sight is so overlooked and such an important factor in our lives. Mich x
Thanks Michelle, about to pop over for a read of your post too x
A wonderful campaign and a beautiful post Ruth…. you have a real talent for these campaign posts, you’re very very good at them. And this, yes, just this…. ‘Johnny Depp’s cheekbones’. Now I am off to donate. X
Ahh, thanks. I haven’t done any posts for charities for a while – time to rectify that I think, I’d love to find a local one that I can really help out x
I don’t wear glasses but I have a slight problem in my right eyes that I have checked every 3 years.I think many of us take our sight for granted, but it really is more important than we realise.
Oh it’s so important isn’t it Aly? You forget how incredibly lucky we are x
Gosh it doesn’t bear thinking about does it, not being able to see? Yet it is something that most of us take for granted. A very thought provoking post
Thanks Nikki. Yes, it’s a scary thought 😦 x
great post, my eyesight is appalling, I would be lost without my glasses x
Likewise. Aren’t we lucky to have the healthcare that we do? x
80% – that’s a massive amount of people who could be helped isn’t it?
Isn’t it incredible? And for so little money too.
Oh Ruth, what a lovely post. Those figures are just startling, will make me think next time I stick my glasses on and get that moment of “ooh!” Off to the site now xx
Ahh, thank you gorgeous lady x
Your post reminds me that i really need to go for an eye check up soon! thanks for reminding me!