Yang is a 64-year-old married woman from Cambodia. She enjoys spending her days listening to the radio and hearing the monks pray. She recently traveled three hours with her niece to reach Watsi’s medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre, for treatment of cataracts.
A cataract occurs when there is a buildup of proteins in the lens of the eye. This causes the lens to become cloudy, disrupting the passage of light through the lens and impairing vision. Most cataracts are due to age-related changes in the eye and account for 50 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide. Formation typically occurs in both eyes.
Yang developed a cataract in each eye three years ago. As a result, she experiences blurred vision, tearing, and itching, and she cannot recognize faces or get around easily on her own.
For $292, Yang will undergo small incision cataract surgery to remove the cloudy lenses from her eyes and replace them with intraocular lens implants. Funding for her treatment also includes two days of hospital care, eye drops and ointments, medicine to reduce pain and prevent infection, and one post-operative consultation. After surgery, Yang will be able to see clearly again
