I could not see but now I can, thank you Dubai - says Filipina mum

Dubai: A 55-year-old single mother said she felt indebted to Dubai after her sight in both eyes were restored free of cost.

“I can’t thank Dubai enough,” Filipina Gaeralyn Alcantar, a saleswoman, told Gulf News on Thursday, 10 days after her left eye was operated upon.

Alcantara, who is a diabetic, said her condition had affected both her eyes, causing acute retinal damage.

“I was in a bad state with the vision in my right eye becoming impaired first last year. But I had no way of getting it treated as I could not afford it. At that point, the Good Samaritans of St Mary’s Catholic Church came forward to help me and referred me to Noor Dubai Foundation which conducted the operation free,” said Alcantara.

The mum of two boys said she has been a beneficiary of Noor Foundation’s generosity, not once, but twice as the UAE-based charity had not only addressed the retinal damage in her right eye last November, but again in her left eye this month. “Again, volunteers at the church came to my rescue and supported me,” she said.

“I have no words to express my gratitude as the two surgeries would have cost me nearly Dh90,000. I desperately needed my eyesight as I am the only breadwinner in my family and have to support my two boys back home. I can’t imagine what we would have all done if my eyesight had been lost forever,” she said, shuddering at the repercussions.

“I feel I have a new lease of life now with the gift of sight,” she said.

Dubai's spirit of giving

A volunteer from the Samaritan Ministry at St Mary’s Catholic Church said, “Dubai resonates the spirit of giving and reaching out to the under- privileged. We remain grateful to the compassionate Government of Dubai and all the kind-hearted people who came forward to helping Geralyn regain her vision. We sincerely wish her the best.”

Noor Dubai Foundation, which focuses on the prevention of blindness and visual impairment globally, promotes early diagnosis of eye disorders and even provides free eye examinations and treatment. Beneficiaries are provided glasses and referred to hospitals if needed to seek treatment in collaboration with the foundation.

Since its inception until 2022, the foundation helped 33 million people around the world, through its treatment, preventive and awareness programmes.

In the UAE, Noor Dubai screened 34,977 residents and provided surgical treatment to over 266 patients.

At a national level, the foundation provides free eye screenings and consultations to the community through the Mobile Eye Clinic programme. The clinic provides free eye screening and referral to hospital for cases that need further treatment.