Rin is a 56-year-old farmer living in Cambodia who “likes to spend his free time in the evenings speaking with his neighbor,” according to our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). Recently, it has become difficult for Rin to continue working at his farm due to worsening pterygiums in his eyes.
A pterygium is a growth that initially begins in the clear, thin tissue surrounding the eye but with time can extend onto the cornea and obstruct the patient’s vision. Pterygiums, nicknamed “surfer’s eyes”, are common in outdoor workers in countries near the equator, such as in Cambodia.
The pterygiums in Rin’s eyes have been slowly growing over the last twenty years. Lately, however, their growth reached a point where they “have blurred his vision so much so that his work at the farm has suffered,” says CSC. Moreover, Rin also suffers from “burning sensations and tearing when it is sunny outside”.
With $150, Rin will receive surgery to remove the pterygiums in his eyes as well as two day’s stay at CSC to ensure full recovery. This low risk procedure lasts only 45 minutes. After 1-2 weeks, Rin’s vision will return to normal.
After the surgery, Rin “hopes he will have no more pain, go back to the farm to work and be able to go anywhere by himself”.