Anne Weymouth

The following is a personal account from Anne Weymouth, for the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) on her recent work in Sri Lanka:

Tea pluckers in Sri Lanka, pluck up to 80kg of tea per day.

The tranquillity of the plantations surrounding Nuwara Eliya conceals an efficient industry that produces some of the highest quality Ceylon tea. Just as the natural serenity of these plantations contrasts with the noisy, random bustle of Colombo, so too is the lifestyle of the tea pluckers far removed from that of Australian, city-dwelling optometry clients. The Sri Lankan women demonstrate incredible manual dexterity to pluck up to 80 kg of new tea buds per day while the men maintain the terrain of the plantations and are responsible for sustaining the tea bushes. For these tasks of physical labour, all workers are paid minimal wages.

Despite the many aspects of dichotomy in Sri Lanka – wealth and poverty, industry and virgin landscapes, humid coast and cool mountains, civil unrest and peaceful prayer – our enthusiastic team of eye care volunteers was consistently greeted with exceptional hospitality and broad smiles. Upon leaving the security-infested streets of Colombo, there is no way we could have imagined the spectacular views of and deafening silence of the plantations that were to be our place of work for the coming fortnight.

The attentive organisation of the plantation managers and staff, combined with the avid curiosity of the children was a very pleasant introduction to our eye clinics. Children would hover outdoors, toothbrush in mouth before school, and the excitement upon seeing strangers in their midst led to rapid propagation of the news that the ‘eye doctors’ were in town. The eye clinics were soon in full motion thanks to the cooperation of the plantation assistants and translators along with the prior preparations of the International Centre for Eyecare Education staff. We were pleasantly surprised with being allowed to transform the maternity hospital into an eye clinic for the week and the efficiency with which it was furnished according to our suggestions was incredible.

The opportunity to participate in the ICEE Sri Lanka eye care project is a privilege. A little good will and cooperation can go a very long way to making a significant difference to the lives of these people for whom an eye test would otherwise be out of the question. And in return for seeing clearly for the first time, or being able to read again, the joy that we witnessed was priceless.

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