Watch the Heartwarming Video of Two Blind Sisters Seeing for the First Time

Impact

Meet Anita and Sonia: 

They are sisters from India that were both born blind. And if they continued their lives without sight, their families would likely have turned them into beggars. 

But a radical surgery changed all that. Now they can see for the first time.

Anita and Sonia's story is beautifully documented by digital media company Blue Chalk Media that focuses on telling visual non-fiction stories. In this short-film below, they follow the sisters as they travel from blindness to sight. 

How it works: A "miracle surgery" can restore the sight of a blind person and it only takes 15 minutes to perform. The nonprofit organization 20/20/20 provided the surgery for Anita and Sonia, covering the $300 cost – an insurmountable cost in a country where 450 million people survive on less than $1 every day. 

In developing countries, blindness is anything but rare. Compared to developed countries, it is "500% more prevalent" in third world countries, reports 20/20/20. And even more staggering is that "the WHO reports that 60% of children die within 1-2 years of going blind," the organization notes

The 15-minute procedure is literally a quick-fix. The nonprofit organization explains, "Through a small incision, the surgeon removes the defective lens that's causing the blindness and replaces it with an artificial lens that costs as little as $2." After a few hours, the patient can then remove bandages in place and open their eyes to see the world. 

The takeaway: Sonia and Anita's story is not a unique one: 20/20/20 works to bring eyesight to 20 million adults and children. But it is a powerful example of how easy have a positive impact on the lives of people who can't afford to do it themselves. 

"We only want their future to be bright," their mother says in the video. And after getting the surgery, Anita and Sonia definitely will have just that: a bright future.