Optometrist changes 1,700 lives in three days at Kenya eye camp

Optometrist changes 1,700 lives in three days at Kenya eye camp

An optometrist has helped change the lives of 1,700 people – from babies to teenagers and older people – in just three days at a Kenya eye camp.

Kejal Shah – an optometrist who runs the Specsavers Home Visits service across parts of Surrey, Kent and South London – organised the eye camp in the Kenyan city of Kisumu following a successful first trip in 2023.

Kejal knew the demand for eyecare would be high having seen around 1,300 people at the first clinics she ran two years ago. Over the last 18 months, she has collected glass glasses donated by her Home Visits patients and local Specsavers stores, shipping 3,000 pairs to Kenya in advance so everything was ready for the three-day eye camp.

This time Kejal and members of her family worked with two optometrists, a team of 10 volunteers, 8 nurses and a local ophthalmologist to help more than 1,700 people over three days, 9-11 August 2025.

Kejal undertook the refraction testing whilst local nurses dispensed glasses for those who needed them. Any complex cases were referred to the ophthalmologist for review and care. Together, the team:

• Provided eye tests to around 1,700 patients
• Dispensed 1000 pairs of donated glasses with a matching or close prescription to that required
• Treated around 400 people for minor eye conditions – such as allergies and infections, with Kejal sponsoring the provision of eye drops, antihistamines and antibiotics
• Performed 80 cataract surgeries

Kisumu is a special place for Kejal as it’s where she grew up and her parents still live there. It’s also where she discovered what was to become a 20+ year career in optometry after volunteering at a local eye hospital shortly after completing her GCSEs.

Says Kejal: ‘It was wonderful to go back to Kisumu again and sponsor another eye camp after such a fantastic trip in 2023. My parents helped with the organisation – we spent four hours on the day before the first clinic measuring and sorting all the glasses by prescription as well as training the volunteers and helpers. They also raised awareness of the camp, distributing flyers and posters advertising the forthcoming clinic across the city and its neighbouring towns and villages. It was a real family effort!’

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‘It was great to work alongside Dr Mansur Yildrim, a local ophthalmologist, so that we could offer more cataract surgery to local people. We planned to run three, 12-hour clinics over three days Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But of course, demand exceeded our expectations again with people queuing long before each clinic started – so it was more like 13-14 hour clinics each day as predictably we over ran and simply didn’t want to turn people away.

She adds: ‘Many had travelled some distance to attend the clinic and it was rewarding and humbling to know that our work helped change the lives of so many people unable to afford to feed themselves, let alone pay for eye care or medical bills.

‘There were many inspirational moments and through this eye camp, we were able to treat a wide range of conditions — from glaucoma to retrobulbar neuritis to suspected tumours. It has been an incredible opportunity to address diverse eye conditions and in doing so, we witnessed the life-changing impact of restoring sight, hope, and the joy of vision.’