Meet Soun, a 53-year-old woman from Cambodia with three daughters and one grandchild. “Soun enjoys watching social news on television in her free time,” explains our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre (CSC).
“Soun developed a cataract in each eye one year ago. This causes her blurred vision, tearing, cloudy lenses, and she is afraid of sunshine. She can't see everything clearly, recognize faces, or do any work on her own. She can't travel outside by herself,” explains CSC.
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 and cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness globally. Even where surgical services are available, barriers to surgery remain such as cost, shortage of human resources, poor infrastructure, and limited awareness about access to available services.
$225 funds cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from both of her eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for her surgery includes post-operative care, and after the surgery, she will be able to see clearly again.
After surgery, Soun hopes to help her family at home, and travel outside without assistance.