Meet Eang, a 77-year-old grandfather from Cambodia with six sons, one daughter, and ten grandchildren. Eang enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray, our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us.
“One year ago Eang developed a cataract in each eye. This causes him blurred vision, tearing, irritation, and he is afraid of sunshine. He can’t see everything clearly, recognize faces, do work by himself, or go outside on his own,” CSC continues.
Cataracts occur when the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, which causes decreased vision and functional blindness. In Cambodia, 90% of blindness could be avoided through proper treatment. As with many countries in the developing world, surgical services are inadequate; Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness globally. Even where surgical services are available, barriers such as cost, shortage of human resources, poor infrastructure, and limited awareness about access to available services remain.
With our help of $225, Eang will undergo a cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from both of his eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for his surgery also includes post-operative care and after the surgery he will be able to see clearly again.
In Eang’s own words, “I hope my eyes can see everything clearly now so I can easily go to the pagoda, go anywhere outside, and do any work.”