The dark side of life: Eleven members of the Soomro family live in a world of shadows

Born with sight, children in the family start losing their ability to see after turning five.

SUKKUR:

Sight is not something the Soomro family of Ghair Gajo village takes for granted. Although they were born with eyes that could see the world, eleven members of the family - three adults and eight children - are now visually impaired. More might fall prey to blindness if they do not receive timely medical attention.

"This mysterious disease starts attacking the children's vision after they turn five," Mohammad Qasim Soomro told The Express Tribune. "Initially, they complain about short-sightedness, but as they grow older, they become completely blind." He added that while the children could see to some extent in bright sunlight, his cousin Ghulam Shabbir Soomro and Ghulam Murtaza Soomro, now 35 and 38 respectively, had lost all vision at the age of 20.

"As a teenager, I could see while I was outside during the day, but I could not even see food in a plate in front of me when I was indoors," said Murtaza, whose four sons and daughter are also unable to see properly. "Before we lost our sight, we used to work as labourers to support our families, but it has become impossible for us to work now. Our wives work in the fields, but their earnings are not enough to make ends meet."

Murtaza and his family consulted eye specialists in Naushahro Feroze and Larkana, but to no avail. He and Qasim even visited Karachi seeking treatment, but were informed by doctors that they would have to go abroad for treatment, since it was not possible in Pakistan.

"It is near impossible for us to be able to afford treatment in Pakistan, and going abroad is out of the question," said Murtaza. "The doctors advised us to include fish in our diet regularly, but we cannot even afford that."

While Murtaza had undergone laser therapy in Karachi, he felt that rather than working, it had had an adverse effect on his vision. He added that the family had also repeatedly visited Dr Abdul Sattar Rajpar, the Pakistan Peoples Party MPA from Naushahro Feroze, to narrate their ordeal and ask for help, but their pleas had gone unheard. He appealed to the government as well as non-governmental organisations to rescue the future of their children.

Dr Rajpar, when contacted, said that while he had heard of the Soomro family, he did not remember meeting them. "I am ready to help them out and will also recommend their case to the Sindh chief minister," he assured The Express Tribune. "We will get them the best treatment available in the country and will bear the full expenses."

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2014.