“Da likes to spend her time chatting with neighbors after work,” says our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). Da, who is married with two daughters, earns an income by working on a farm. Recently, however, Da has been unable to work due to a pterygium affecting her eye.
Pterygium, also called ‘surfer’s eye,’ is a common condition for people with frequent exposure to sunlight. Over time, a lesion grows over the eye, causing discomfort and interfering with vision.
According to CSC, the pterygium “gives Da burning sensations and blurs her vision.” Due to this, “it is hard for her to do her work during the day on the farm and sunshine makes her even more sensitive than usual.”
Additionally, the irritation around her eye caused by the lesion makes Da “constantly rub the area, making it red and puffy.”
With $150, Da will receive a surgery to remove the pterygium from her eye. This is a very brief procedure—after only 30 minutes, Da will be able to see properly again. To aid her recovery, she will also spend two days in the hospital to make sure she has access to the medical care she needs.
“After surgery, Da hopes to see better, go back to the farm and have no pain,” CSC shares.