Sok Ly is a 68-year-old wife and grandmother who lives in Cambodia. She enjoys visiting the pagoda to listen to the praying monks, and watching Khmer dramas and social news channels on television.
“Two months ago Sok Ly developed a cataract in each eye,” explains our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC). “This causes her blurred vision, pain, and tearing.”
A cataract is a thickened, cloudy lens. Over time, the altered lens loses its ability to focus light properly, resulting in blurry or dull vision and difficulty seeing far away objects. Cataracts account for 50 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide, and formation typically occurs in both eyes, as Sok Ly is experiencing. “It is hard to see everything and everyone’s faces clearly, and do my work and walk outside” says Sok Ly.
$225 will cover the cost of surgery to remove the cloudy lenses from both of Sok Ly’s eyes and replace them with artificial lenses. Funding for Sok Ly’s treatment also includes post-operative follow-up care. After surgery, “Sok Ly will be able to see everything much better,” CSC tells us.
Sok Ly shares: “I hope my eyes can see everything clearly again so I’m not worried about my eye losing any more vision. After treatment I hope I can sell groceries at the market to earn money to support my family. I hope I will be able to easily go anywhere outside by myself.”
Her husband adds, “I hope I don’t have to worry about her eyes having problems in the future.”