Meet Pich, a 79-year-old woman from Cambodia. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, “Pich is married with six children and twenty grandchildren, and during the day she likes to listen to the monks praying in her village.”
Pich has hypermature cataracts in both of her eyes. CSC reports that this condition “makes it difficult for Pich to do things like eating, walking, or going places without assistance.” A cataract can arise with old age, and occurs when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Left untreated, a cataract can lead to decreased vision and eventually blindness.
As a result of her cataracts, Pich cannot go to her place of worship—the pagoda—by herself. In addition, “She relies on her grandson on a day to day basis to guide her, so he can’t do as much work as he would like to do,” CSC explains.
With $225 in Watsi funding, Pich will receive cataract removal surgery for both of her eyes. Doctors will improve Pich’s vision by replacing her cloudy lenses with clear, artificial implants. CSC reports, “Pich will have clear vision in her right eye and will be able to come back in two weeks for surgery on her left eye.”
CSC continues, “After surgery Pich hopes that she will be able to eat and walk on her own, go to the pagoda without a problem, visit her niece and nephew, and most of all she doesn’t want to be bothering people to help her.” Let’s help Pich regain her vision and independence!