Man Who Was Blind For 27 Years Recounts First Experience After Regaining Sight

For 27 years, Abdullahi Abubakar lived in total darkness. Born in Kebbi State but raised in Wudil, Kano, he lost his sight at the age of three and grew up navigating life without vision. He has endured the stigma of blindness, struggled to earn a living and relied on friends to guide him through daily life. Seven weeks ago, he underwent a surgery on glaucoma and optic neuritis at the Makkah Specialists Eye Hospital in Kano. For the first time in almost three decades, he opened his eyes to light.

Speaking about his experience with blindness before the surgery, Abubakar said they went to many hospitals, but God did not make it successful. Eventually, he gave up and accepted his fate.

In an interview with Daily Trust, he said blindness comes with many challenges, noting that even at home, you feel the difference because people treat you as if you were of no use except to be fed and cared for. But he refused to give up. He studied Islamic knowledge and tried many trades because he did not want to beg. He sold water fetched from the river in buckets, he sold animals, and later begged when there was no other option. He had friends who guided him wherever he went.

On when exactly the surgery was done, he said this is the seventh week, adding that he was diagnosed with glaucoma and optic neuritis.

On how he lost his sight, he said he developed the condition around the age of three. Because he was very young, he cannot remember how it happened. He has lived with blindness for 27 years and is now 30.

Explaining how the surgery was carried out, he said in the past, he tried many medicines in different hospitals. They often told him that he would not recover unless he went abroad for surgery. From then he gave up on treatment, noting that it has been nine years since the search for cure began.

He said recently, a neighbour who is a policeman took him to a hospital in Kano. They ran tests and said his eyes could be restored but surgery on the eye nerves was needed, costing N180,000. He could not afford it, so he tried to raise money from relatives and friends but failed.

Later, Wudil Local Government announced that those with eye problems should come for assistance. He showed them his test results and they said his case was treatable. They went to the Makkah Specialists Eye Hospital in Kano, where they confirmed that surgery could succeed. On the appointed day, the surgery was done.

Speaking on his first experience after the surgery, he said the surgery started around 8:00am. They removed the eye completely, worked on the nerve, then replaced it. As soon as they finished, he began to see signs of light. They covered the eye with plaster.

He said the next day when they removed it, he saw a bright light he could hardly look at. They showed him one finger and asked how many. He said he only knew numbers, not sight. Later, he realised and counted one, two, three, four and so on. They told him his sight would gradually improve since he had been blind since childhood.

On what was his biggest surprise after regaining sight, he said the first surprise was seeing his daughter’s face because he had never seen her before. When they got home, he looked at her and then used his phone camera to see his own face. He realised they looked alike. His wife had always told him this, but now he saw it himself. Seeing his daughter amazed him most. He was also surprised to see his wife’s face, but the joy of seeing his daughter was greater because of the resemblance.

On what delighted him most after surgery, he said looking at his daughter’s face gives him joy every day.

On what has fascinated him the most, he said what fascinated him most was the Wudil River. He enjoys standing on the bridge to watch it. People dive from the bridge into the river, which amazes him. The flow of water and people using small boats to fetch sand also surprised him. He also enjoyed seeing the hustle and bustle of the town, shops, stalls and people trading various goods.

On whether he is still moving with a guide, he said not really. His friends are always with him, and he asks them the names of things he sees. For example, when he saw a horse or a dog running, he asked if that was how they really run.

On what surprised him the most about things he imagined before but saw differently after surgery, he said the stars in the sky. When he first saw them, he was amazed. His wife explained that the big white one was the moon and the small ones were stars. Watching them was delightful because they did not hurt the eyes like the sun.

On whether he can now walk alone without a guide, he said yes, very well. He even walks long distances alone, like to the University of Science and Technology in Wudil.

On whether he has ever gotten lost while walking alone, he said no, because he only goes to places he has already visited with someone. He memorises the routes carefully. He said even his clothes feel new to him now because everything is unfamiliar.

On whether it is true that the blind can recognise voices, he said yes, they can recognise voices and even footsteps. For example, he could recognise his father’s footsteps. Once he hears a voice repeatedly, he can identify it anywhere, adding that everybody has his unique steps.

On whether he used a special phone for the blind before surgery, he said yes, he had a big phone with voice features that announced places he entered.

On whether he used Braille to study Islamic Knowledge, he said no, he used a normal Qur’an, not Braille. He memorised it by listening, though he could not see the letters. He would mark places to help him open the right page.

On who paid for his surgery, he said the chairman of Wudil Local Government.

On whether he has now started a business since he can see, he said before surgery he was already trying to find a trade. Recently, the chairman gave him N100,000 to start a business. He told him he wanted to return to animal trading, which requires capital. He gave him the money and his brother took him to the livestock market. If he gets more support, that’s the business he wants.

On whether the blind also dream, he said yes, they do.

On whether dreams are similar for those with sight and those without, he said yes, because dreams are seen with the mind, not the eyes. For example, he dreamed of his mother’s death before it happened. He used to dream of driving cars even though he had never seen one. After surgery, his dreams now match what he sees in reality. Before now, he dreamed of cars differently than they actually looked. Now he dreams of them as they are.

On what gave him the most joy after regaining sight, he said the greatest joy is that now he can do business with people who had previously refused because of his blindness. Remembering that he can now see and work fills him with immense happiness.

On whether he would learn to read and write, he said yes, he will start learning. He can see letters now but doesn’t know them yet.

On whether he uses his phone to watch things now, he said yes, but doctors warned him not to overuse the screen. He uses social media, especially Facebook and WhatsApp, and enjoys them very much.

Credits: Dailytrust