Blindness

by Stefano De Luigi, in collaboration with CBM Italy

What is the look of a blind person? Can the blind show joy, happiness, disappointment, pain, suffering, pity, regret, without the use of their eyes? Can the absence of sight mean also the absence of complicity behind the camera's lens?

We always use the term “blind” to characterize a person, such as “blond”, “fat”,“poor”, “rich”, and maybe, in some way, it is the truth. It doesn't matter if it happens in Africa, Asia, or old Europe. The fact is, they cannot see the light, the colors, the daily scenes, how awful or gorgeous their world can be. The blind are a contrast. It is easier to ignore them; their handicap is hidden. It's not necessary to turn the face to something or someone else, they won't see it. They seem “normal”, but they’re not. They have their own world, the same and yet different than ours, made of different feelings, different images, different colors. And the dark.

BLINDNESS is a project in collaboration with CBM Italy (Christian Blind Mission), whose purpose is to report the blind condition worldwide and to inform about the disease when it is possible to cure it. There are approximately 37 million blind people in the world, most of who live in the poorest countries. Over two thirds of cases could have been prevented or are treatable. CBM aims to eliminate the unnecessary cases of blindness by preventing and treating the main diseases which cause blindness: cataract, refractive errors, glaucoma, trachoma, vitamin A deficiency, diabetic retinopathy and onchocerciasis. To provide the cost-efficient treatments for these eye diseases and to improve the surgical facilities, CBM supports and sponsors eye care services and hospitals, training for eye specialists and ophthalmic nurses, eye care programs and programs for blindness prevention. The primary object of CBM is to provide for basic eye care, education and vision rehabilitation services. For instance, every year thousands of magnifiers and other special devices sponsored by CBM are distributed to people in need. The aim is that persons with disabilities can enjoy their full human rights, be fully included as equals in their society, and lead a largely independent life.

Life-changing miracles can be achieved through effective, medical, educational and rehabilitation services. A 15-minute operation can remove a cataract, and 17 million people who have lost their eyesight because of cataracts could see the world around them again.

The trip through “Blindness” started in 2003, reporting the blind conditions in Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Thailand, China, Laos, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Lithuania. The work is due to become a book.

Stefano De Luigi On behalf of CBM Italy (CBM International)