Grace Vision

14/10/2026

Introducing the Isilimela School's Team.

On 13 October 2026, Grace Vision officially began eye screening for children in the greater Port St Johns region, bringing eye care to tens of thousands of learners in a new region of the Eastern Cape.

Our School's Team travels the roads to reach schools across the region. In each classroom, learners are screened one by one: the eye chart, the autorefractor, stereopsis testing and a careful check of each eye. Children who need further care are referred on, so no child is left struggling to see the board.

This would not be possible without our partners.

Thank you to Itereleng for your continued support of our programme, and to ingram. Without you, none of this would have been possible.

Thank you to Eye Care 4 Kids Africa for providing spectacles for this programme.

A special thank you to FNB, who came on board specifically to help fund the equipment our School's Team uses to screen the children.

Every child deserves to see clearly.

Where the roads end, but hope begins.

12/10/2026

11/10/2026

World Sight Week 2026 | Our Cataract Surgery Marathon is Complete
Over three days, from 8 to 10 October, our team completed 77 cataract surgeries, restoring sight, independence and hope.
As the final day of surgery wound down, the community centre that had been packed with patients grew quieter. Inside theatre, our surgical team pushed through to the very end, spending more than 25 hours working with dedication over the three days of surgery.
One of our final patients had not seen anything in over two years. Her daughter-in-law was by her side every step of the way, and when her patch came off, she could see again.
Every reaction is different. Some patients have not seen for so long that the shock of seeing again stuns them. Others see clearly right away. Some take a moment to process what they can now see, and some forget their age and jump right up in celebration.
A special thank you to the doctor and staff from Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha for their amazing work.
Proudly sponsored by AbbVie , with the support of Eastern Cape Department of Health and Operation Healing Hands-OHH .

10/10/2026

World Sight Week 2026 | Day 3 of our Cataract Surgery Marathon
On Day 2, our doctors worked well into the evening. Thanks to their determination and commitment, 59 cataract surgeries have now been completed, with another 19 scheduled for today.
Our Day 2 group was the largest of the entire marathon. This morning, a number of patients who had been blind in both eyes had their patches removed and saw again.
Being completely blind means relying on family members for everyday care. Over time, it takes away independence, and so often, hope. The need for cataract surgery is great, and many patients wait patiently, sometimes for years, for their chance to see again. Many more are still waiting in the dark for that opportunity.
For so many, all that was needed was a helping hand. One surgery. One helping hand. A whole life changed.
Stay tuned for more from World Sight Week.
Proudly sponsored by AbbVie , with the support of Eastern Cape Department of Health and Operation Healing Hands-OHH .

05/10/2026

Grace Vision's 2026 progress so far.

From 1 January to 30 September, our teams have reached 22,963 people across the rural Eastern Cape, already more than in all of 2025.

14,996 learners were screened across 154 school visits, and 409 children received spectacles. At our clinics, 7,967 adults were seen and 1,401 spectacles were issued. In September, our new Isilimela clinics opened their doors.

254 cataract surgeries have been performed, with 476 more scheduled. Since 2012, 259,645 people have been screened.

Every number is a person who can see more clearly, learn more easily and live with greater independence. Thank you to our teams, partners and supporters for making this possible.

Restoring sight, dignity & life.

Follow our page to keep up with the stories behind these numbers, and share this video to help more people find us.

17/07/2026

Thembisa's story is exactly why we do this work. Thank you for sitting with her, listening, and telling her story with such care.

16/07/2026

Grateful to partner with Operation Blessing SA on 67 cataract operations this week. Restoring sight changes lives! We are honoured to walk alongside these patients every step of the way.

This week, Operation Blessing SA is performing 67 cataract operations in partnership with Grace Vision.

Before surgery, we personally visit some of our patients, taking the time to hear their stories, understand the challenges they face, and offer encouragement and support. It is such a blessing to be part of their journey. For us, restoring sight is about so much more than a procedure it's about caring for people every step of the way.

07/07/2026

Taken at St Barnabas Provincial Hospital.
This is the line our team is met with when doing outreaches at these rural hospitals. A beautiful day, and a clear reminder of the pressing need for primary eyecare in the communities we serve.
Every person waiting represents someone seeking clearer sight, greater independence, and a better quality of life. Reaching communities with limited access to healthcare is why our teams keep travelling these roads.

24/06/2026

Not long ago, Tokozile Lamana was living in darkness.

Cataracts had stolen her sight, making it impossible to continue life as she once knew it. The work that had sustained her family and given her purpose became increasingly difficult. Like many people facing avoidable blindness, she was at risk of losing not only her vision, but also her independence, productivity, and role as a provider.

Then everything changed.

Through Grace Vision's cataract surgery programme, Tokozile's sight was restored.

For many, restored sight means seeing faces clearly again, recognising loved ones, or moving around safely. For Tokozile, it also meant returning to the land.

With her vision restored, she was able to resume farming and become productive once more. She returned to growing food, supporting her household, and participating in the local economy. A woman who had been prevented from working by blindness was once again able to do what she had always done: provide.

But Tokozile's story did not end with surgery.

A few months later, Grace Vision received an unexpected gift.

A relative arrived carrying a generous donation of oranges from Tokozile's farm.

During her time as a patient, Tokozile had noticed that Grace Vision had begun serving healthy food to patients attending surgical interventions. As part of our commitment to promoting healthy and sustainable living, patients are provided with nutritious meals and produce while also learning about the importance of lifestyle choices that contribute to long-term health and wellbeing.

The oranges made an impression on her.

Now, having experienced the life-changing impact of restored sight, she wanted to give back.

This coming weekend, those very oranges will be served to a new group of patients arriving for surgery.

The significance of that gift is hard to miss.

The people who will receive those oranges are walking the same path Tokozile once walked. They are arriving with uncertainty, hoping that they too might regain their sight and reclaim the lives that blindness has taken from them.

As they sit together and share a meal, they will be eating fruit grown and donated by someone who was once in their position.

Someone who was blind and can now see.

Someone whose livelihood was restored.

Someone who returned to work, returned to providing, and chose to return the blessing she had received.

At Grace Vision, we often talk about restoring sight. But the true impact goes much further.

When sight is restored, people return to work. Families regain providers. Communities regain contributors. Hope is renewed. And sometimes, the very people whose lives have been transformed become part of transforming the lives of others.

Tokozile's oranges are more than a donation.

They are proof that restoring sight creates a harvest far greater than vision alone.

#𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀