Poeun is a 58-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother who farms rice in Cambodia. In her free time, she likes to listen to the monks pray at the pagoda.
Our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), tells us, “Three months ago, Poeun began experiencing blurred vision, pain, and irritation caused by glaucoma.” Glaucoma is the result of inadequate fluid drainage from the eye, causing pressure to build inside the eye. The increased pressure damages the eye’s main nerve — the optic nerve — and results in vision loss and eventual blindness.
“It is hard for me to see anything clearly or do my work,” says Poeun. “There is pain in my eyes.”
The recommended treatment for Poeun is a trabeculectomy, a surgical procedure in which doctors remove tissue from the eye to create an opening to allow fluid drainage. “After a trabeculectomy procedure,” says CSC, “Poeun will have less pain and improved vision.”
For $300, Poeun will undergo surgery and spend two days in the hospital while she recovers. Funding also covers the cost of post-operative follow-up care and medicine.
“I hope [I can] see everything better than now and I won’t feel pain anymore after treatment,” shares Poeun. “Then I can do my work on the farm and take care of my grandchild easily at home.”
