Meet Yoeun, a 60-year-old woman from Cambodia. “In her free time, she likes to watch the news and Thai soap operas,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC).
Yoeun has a pterygium in each of her eyes. A ptergyium is a fleshy growth that appears on the conjunctiva—the mucous membrane that covers the cornea. This damage to the eye is often caused by prolonged exposure to the sun. “They cause burning sensations and she itches her eyes a lot, making her face puffy and red,” CSC tells us. Yoeun’s eye symptoms make it hard for her to work.
$150 will fund the treatment Yoeun needs: surgical removal of the pterygiums, along with the necessary medication and post-operative care.
This surgical procedure involves removing the affected conjunctiva and replacing it with a conjunctival graft to cover the defect and prevent recurrence. Without this surgical intervention, Yoeun will continue to experience irritation, light sensitivity and decreased vision.
After Yoeun’s recovery CSC reports that she will no longer have pain in her eye. CSC adds, “She looks forward to going back to the farm to make money and no longer having pain in her eyes.”