Optometry students from Cardiff Uni deliver vital eye care to communities in Malawi

Optometry students from Cardiff University have delivered vital eye care to communities in Malawi after a donation from the co-founder of Specsavers.

Dame Mary Perkins donated £12,000 to ten Cardiff Uni students to fund a month-long trip to Malawi, according to Nation Cymru.

The visit builds on a 27-year partnership between Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Malawi’s health service. The collaboration has played a key role in developing the country’s optometry provision.

During the trip, the students worked in health centres and village halls, set up pop-up clinics, and provided free eye tests, treatment and training in some of Malawi’s most remote areas. They took with them hundreds of pairs of donated glasses and 40 boxes of PPE.

The team carried out more than 1,800 eye tests, supplied over 3,000 pairs of glasses, diagnosed a range of conditions, and funded cataract surgeries for hundreds of people across several regions.

Four of the ten students are currently trainee optometrists at Cardiff Queen Street and Pontypridd Specsavers. Prior to the trip, the group raised £3,300 through a GoFundMe campaign, plus £500 from a charity quiz night and in-store donations.

Specsavers Pontypridd also contributed by donating two Volk lenses and glazed specs for patients in Malawi.

Dame Mary Perkins told Nation Cymru: “I’m incredibly proud to support this project and the work of Cardiff University and its optometry students. This partnership is about striving for long-term improvements in eyecare.

“Projects like this don’t just deliver life-changing care, they also help the next generation of optometrists build their skills in a meaningful way.”

The donation followed a personal appeal from student Jaini Bhatt, one of the ten participants.

Speaking about the project, Jaini said: “The experience was incredibly rewarding. We saw first-hand how access to eyecare can truly change lives.

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“There was a lot of planning and fundraising ahead of the trip and being part of the Specsavers community made it such a positive experience.

“We’re so grateful to Dame Mary and to all the stores across the Cardiff cluster and Pontypridd for their support. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we could take more equipment and reach more people. It’s an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

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