Meet Sart, an 84-year-old grandfather from Cambodia with five sons, two daughters, and 16 grandchildren. Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us that Sart enjoys listening to the monks pray. When Sart can’t visit the the pagoda to hear the monks praying, he listens to the radio instead.
“Three years ago Sart developed a cataract in each eye,” CSC explains. “His right eye is completely blind and his left eye has a mature cataract. He can’t see well or go walking places by himself.”
Cataracts, a common condition among older patients, occur when the eye lens becomes cloudy due to protein build-up over time. As the cataracts “matures,” or continues to develop, this can lead to decreased vision and eventually functional blindness.
In Cambodia, 90% of blindness cases 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 global blindness. Even where surgical services are available, barriers to surgery, such as cost, poor infrastructure, and limited awareness about access to available services, often affect a patient’s ability to receive treatment.
$150 funds cataract surgery that will remove the cloudy lenses from each of Sart’s eyes, replacing them with artificial substitutes. Funding for his surgery also includes post-operative care, and after the surgery, he will be able to see clearly again.
Sart says, “I hope my left eye can see clearly again and not be blind like my right eye. I hope I can easily go walking and do work by myself.”