“I hope my eyes can see everything more clearly so I can help my family with housework, take care of my grandchildren, and go anywhere outside the house,” shares Bunthorn, a 77-year-old grandmother from Cambodia who has cataracts. Bunthorn has four sons, five daughters, and 20 grandchildren.
Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) shares that “Bunthorn developed a cataract in each eye three months ago. This causes her blurred vision, tearing, irritation, and she is afraid of the sunshine…this makes it hard for her to do any work.”
Cataracts occur as proteins develop in the lens of the eye and cause cloudiness. Without treatment, the cloudiness increases over time and results in decreased vision. Cataracts can ultimately cause total blindness.
In Cambodia, the wide majority of cases of blindness can be avoided with proper treatment. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world, and can be treated with a simple surgery. In this procedure, doctors make a small incision to surgically remove the clouded lens and replace it with a new, artificial lens.
$225 funds a treatment to cure Bunthorn’s cataracts and restore her vision, allowing her to visit the pagoda on her own and return to her normal life.
Her daughter shares, “I hope my mother can see everything clearly again so she can easily walk anywhere and do any work by herself.”