Mariyas is a 35-year-old rice and crop farmer who is married and has three sons. About four years ago, she developed a pterygium in each eye. A pterygium is a membrane that grows inward from the side of the eye, eventually covering the cornea and impairing vision. Her condition is also irritating, causing burning and itchiness.
It has become difficult for Mariyas to see things clearly from either eye. She has difficulty doing any work and cannot go outside by herself.
On January 9, eye surgeons at CSC will remove the pterygium from each eye to allow Mariyas to see clearly again. $148 in funding will cover the cost of Mariyas’s surgery, hospital stay, and medications.
“I hope to look better and to no longer have the burning, irritation, and itchiness that I have now,” says Mariyas, “so that I can continue my work easily and go anywhere by myself.”