Amolatar woman regains sight after 13 years of blindness

2 May 2026, 4:26 pm

By Finellah Akullu Opio

A 30-year-old woman from Amolatar District has regained her sight after battling cataract blindness for about 13 years.

Kevin Acila, a resident of Akwon Parish in Etam Sub-county, developed Cataract, an eye condition at the age of 17, which gradually led to complete loss of her sight.

For many years, she lived without seeing her husband and her five children, relying on family members for daily support and survival.

“In March this year, doctors from Lira Regional Referral Hospital visited Amolatar Health Center IV for a medical Camp, where i was assessed and later underwent an eye procedure that restored my vision, Acila says”.

Acila said the condition affected her life and household activities, leaving her husband with the burden of doing all house chores, but expressed gratitude after regaining sight, saying she now hopes to take care of her children well.

Kevin, speaking emotionally, said the blindness caused her deep hardship, including giving birth to her first child by a Traditional Birth Attendant.

Acila’s Father-in-law, Felix Orec, said he married for his son in 2018 without knowing she was completely blind at the time, adding that the family only learned about her condition later.

He said that three months ago, after hearing a radio announcement about an eye outreach programme, he took her to Amolatar Health Center IV, where her eyes were operated and she gradually regained her sight.

Yubu Akwanga, 40, the husband to Kevin Acila, said when he married her, he didn’t know she was blind because he was only attracted to her beauty and height, only to notice later after she failed to do some house chores.

He said their marriage life and love have now improved after Kevin regained her sight, noting that she can now clearly see him and their children again.

Akwanga added that he now has hope in their family life and has resumed small business activities to support the household and take care of their five children.

Dr Isaac Ekwan, a clinical opthalmologist from Lira Regional Referral Hospital, and eye care manager at Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology said Kevin’s eyesight was successfully restored and reported good recovery since she can now clearly see objects from a distance of about six metres.

Dr Ekwan noted that eye diseases remain common in the Lango sub-region, many of which are cataract cases, and said the hospital is expanding outreach services to bring eye treatment closer to communities in different districts.

Lira Regional Referral Hospital Director, Dr Andrew Odur, said the hospital continues to strengthen outreach services to provide eye care closer to communities.

He said the hospital also plans to scale up screening and treatment of eye diseases, where patients are examined and treated depending on their condition, to save them from long distance referrals to Mengo Hospital and Mulago National Referral Hospital.