Meet Phanith, a 21-year-old from Cambodia who works at a nearby water purification factory. Our medical partner, Children's Surgical Center (CSC), shares that besides working, Phanith enjoys listening to classical music in his free time.
Since birth, Phanith has had a visual condition called esotropia where his right eye turns inward. Because of this, he is shy around others.
Phanith shares, "I am shy because other people always call me 'cross eyed man'." He does not enjoy doing work at the factory or being outside for fear of being seen and mocked.
This lack of coordination between Phanith's ocular muscles prevents him from having depth perception or general binocular vision.
For $290, Phanith can undergo correction surgery where one of those extraocular muscles will be shortened or lengthened to align the eye properly. The cost of both surgery and recovery will be covered.
CSC believes that after the surgery, Phanith's right eye will realign and he will be able to return to work with more confidence.
Phanith's father hopes that his "son is good looking with a straight eye, so he isn't shy with anyone anymore and he can feel good about his work and go anywhere he wants to."