Teng is a 67-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother from Cambodia. When she is not helping her daughter make noodles to sell, she enjoys visiting the pagoda to hear the monks pray and participate in ceremonies.
“Two months ago, Teng’s right eyelid began to turn inward so that her eyelashes scrape the surface of her eye,” our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us. “She has been diagnosed with entropion of the right eyelid.”
Entropion typically affects only the lower eyelid. The condition occurs most often in older adults due to age-related relaxation of muscles under the eyes or infection of the eyelid. If not treated, entropion can cause damage to the cornea, eye infections, and even vision loss.
For $290, a surgeon will remove a small part of Teng’s eyelid to tighten the muscles and tendons and correct the entropion. Funding also covers the costs of three days of hospital care, eye drops and ointments, medicine to reduce pain and prevent infection, and pre- and post-operative consultations.
“After a lid correction surgery,” says CSC, “Teng’s right eye will be relieved of pain and irritation.”
Teng looks forward to a successful surgery and relief from discomfort. “I hope my eye is easy to open, so I can help my daughter do some work at home, and I can easily go anywhere outside,” she shares.
