HELP Foundation launches eye-care drive for Kashmir’s artisans

Srinagar, Aug 29: HELP Foundation, in partnership with OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and Sharp Sight Eye Hospital, has launched an ambitious eye health campaign for artisan families across Kashmir. As per a statement issued here, the initiative aims to deliver comprehensive vision care—ranging from free screening camps and spectacles to surgeries and follow-up support.

Chairperson and founding member of HELP Foundation, Nighat Shafi Pandit, said 47 screening camps have so far been conducted in artisan-dense areas of Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, and Bandipora. “Over 6,500 individuals were screened, 3,398 spectacles distributed, 2,160 referred to hospitals, and 29 successful eye surgeries conducted,” she said.

Pandit noted that many artisans had never undergone an eye test before and had silently suffered for years. “For them, receiving glasses or cataract surgery was life-changing—restoring livelihoods, dignity, and dreams,” she observed. She stressed that the intervention goes beyond medical treatment: “This is cultural preservation, an economic revival, and a humanitarian act.”

Highlighting the unique challenges faced by artisans working in dimly lit homes and remote villages, Pandit said the initiative has brought expert eye care to their doorsteps. “Protecting their eyesight is essential not only for their health but also for preserving Kashmir’s world-famous tapestries and walnut wood carvings, where precision is everything,” she maintained.

HELP Foundation, a leading NGO working on education, healthcare, and rehabilitation of underprivileged women and orphans, said the campaign will soon expand to Ganderbal, Anantnag, and Kulgam. “This is more than a health project—it is a movement of light and livelihood, reaching deep into Kashmir’s soul through the eyes of its people,” Pandit said.