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Winning the war against blindness

Fares Al Hadi Abdullah was born in darkness. His life was devoid of colour until he was six years old, when he gained partial sight.

  • By Siham Al Najami, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:20 September 5, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Fares Al Hadi Abdullah was born in darkness. His life was devoid of colour until he was six years old, when he gained partial sight.

But the 23-year-old Sud-anese vividly remembers the kaleidoscopic world he conjured up in his imagination about every little thing his fingers could feel.

"I can still remember when my world was completely dark. I wanted to discover the world on my own, and in some cases I did.

"I had no concept of colours and objects. But I also did not have visual limitations to beauty and life. I had a much stronger imagination back then," said Fares, who was a victim of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

RP is the name of a group of degenerative diseases of the retina. In most cases, it hits young adults who lose vision gradually. However, in Fares' case, he was born blind and began to gradually gain his sight at the age of six.

As a child, Fares was completely dependent on his family. He had to be either carried or someone had to hold his hand even while getting out of bed.

Now a receptionist who is also pursuing his studies, he lives alone in Sharjah after his family returned to Sudan last year, saying he completely takes care of daily chores without assistance, although he is partly visually impaired.

Perseverance

It took him months and a lot of hard work to adapt to his new world, especially since he lived at a time when not many people were aware of his condition or how to deal with people with special needs.

"I wish people, companies, and institutes trust our capabilities in being active members in society. They must understand we have potentials to be come managers, ministers, and teachers," he said.

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