This is Hoeun, a 76-year-old grandmother from Cambodia, “Hoeun is married with five sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren,” shares our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “She spends her free time visiting the pagoda to listen to the monks pray, and praying with her fellow villagers.”
“Five years ago Hoeun developed a cataract in each eye,” CSC reports. A cataract occurs when the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy from a buildup of proteins. This cloudiness accumulates over time, and has slowly deteriorated Hoeun’s vision. It has also caused her to experience burning sensations, irritation, tearing, and sensitivity to light.
“It is hard to see everything clear or go anywhere outside on my own,” Hoeun says. “I can’t do any work very well or recognize the faces of people clearly.” If her condition is left untreated, Hoeun could completely lose her ability to see.
After hearing about CSC from her neighbor, Hoeun traveled two hours with her husband to reach the clinic for proper medical consultation. With $225, doctors at CSC will perform an operation to remove the cloudy lenses in both of Hoeun’s eyes and replace them with new, artificial lenses. Within one day of her procedure, Hoeun will be able to see clearly again.