St. Lucy was a virgin martyr of the 3rd century, who is traditionally invoked for her intercession for any eye problem or eye disease.
After refusing to worship pagan gods, she was sentenced to death. At first her persecutors had a fire built around her and boiling oil poured on top of her.
However, she was able to endure such torture, which enraged her persecutors.
The executioner finally gouged out her eyes, and drew a sword and struck Lucy in the throat. This last blow was to be the cause of her martyrdom.
Afterwards St. Lucy was always depicted with eyes on a platter, and was declared the patron saint of all those with eye diseases.
Here is a prayer to St. Lucy, asking her for aid in both physical and spiritual sight.
St. Lucy, you preferred to let your eyes be torn out instead of denying the faith and defiling your soul; and God, through an extraordinary miracle, replaced them with another pair of sound and perfect eyes to reward your virtue and faith, appointing you as the protector against eye diseases. I come to you for you to protect my eyesight and to heal the illness in my eyes.
O St. Lucy, preserve the light of my eyes so that I may see the beauties of creation, the glow of the sun, the color of the flowers and the smile of children.
Preserve also the eyes of my soul, the faith, through which I can know my God, understand His teachings, recognize His love for me and never miss the road that leads me to where you, St. Lucy, can be found in the company of the angels and saints.
St. Lucy, protect my eyes and preserve my faith. Amen.
And today we celebrate...