An, from Cambodia, is 61 years old. Four moths ago, he developed a cataract in each eye. Cataracts are a result of excess proteins forming on the lens of the eye, making it cloudy. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us: “An can’t see everything clearly, go outside on his own, or do his work well.” His cataracts have caused him blurred vision, itchiness, tearing, and he is now afraid of sunshine. An is married with three sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren. He enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray and joining in ceremonies. He also likes cleaning the land around his home. “An has traveled 12 hours to CSC with his wife for his treatment,” shares CSC. He is hoping to get surgery to treat the cataracts and enable him to see clearly and be able to help his family more easily. To treat his cataracts, doctors will perform a short operation to make an incision in the eye and replace the clouded lenses with new, artificial implants. The implants will allow An to see clearly again after one or two days of healing. $225 will cover the cost of the surgery, medicine, and hospital fees.

Meet Vutha, a 46-year-old man from Cambodia. “Vutha is married with 3 daughters and works as a policeman. He enjoys watching boxing on TV and reading the newspaper in his free time,” describes our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC). “Vutha developed a cataract in each eye nine years ago. This causes him blurred vision, tearing, and cloudy lenses. He can't see everything clearly, do work well, or go anywhere outside,” explains CSC. $225 funds cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from both of his eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for his surgery includes post-operative care, and after the surgery, he will be able to see clearly again.