“Mom is married with one son, two daughters, and five grandchildren,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. “She works as a rice farmer. In her free time she visits the pagoda to listen to the monks pay, does housework, and visits her relatives.”
Mom has glaucoma in addition to a cataract in each eye. While cataracts cause a filmy layer to form over the eye lens, glaucoma affects the eye’s optic nerve. By inducing high pressure in the inner-eye, glaucoma can lead to eye damage and ultimately vision loss.
With constant discomfort and poor vision, Mom finds herself restricted from being able to go places by herself or do work alone. By itself, a cataract can lead to slowly deteriorated vision. In combination with glaucoma, Mom’s condition puts her at risk of experiencing total blindness if left untreated.
For $300, doctors at CSC can treat Mom’s glaucoma and remove her cataracts during a two-part process. First, to prevent Mom from losing her sight completely, doctors will perform a surgery to create a channel in her eye to drain the excess fluid. She will also be provided with medication to help reduce pressure within her inner eye.
Once recovered from her first surgery, Mom will return to the hospital to receive an operation to remove her cataracts and restore her sight.
After both operations, Mom will regain both her vision and independence, and can enjoy her life without risk of permanent eye damage.