Currently 43 million people around the world are blind and 1.1 billion live with some form of vision loss. About 90 per cent of those affected live in low-income and middle-income countries, and most cannot get the care they need.
The problem is aggravated by the spread of COVID-19. The economic downturn has made it even harder for visually impaired and blind patients to afford simple operations and treatments.
Toddler Tiek is a bundle of joy. But at the age of three months, Tiek’s loved ones saw the cloudiness in his eyes and started to worry about his eye health.
As Tiek grew, so did his family’s fear. Tiek couldn’t see clearly and needed to feel his way around their home. He was crawling backwards, not knowing directions.
In Lao PDR, blind children have a very hard life. They are less likely to go to school, more likely to be left out, and more likely to experience emotional and developmental instability.
Tiek’s parents were anxious, knowing that this would be their precious son’s difficult future. The family doesn’t earn very much, and with no eye health services nearby, they felt helpless.
“I couldn’t focus on my work because I was extremely worried about him,” says Tiek's mum.
The cloudiness in Tiek’s eyes grew worse with each passing day, threatening to take over completely – until someone like you gave Tiek the chance to have his sight restored before it was too late.
Tiek and his family were then able to travel to Bokeo Hospital, where the delicate surgery needed for such a young child, under the age of two, was possible.
The surgery was successful.
“Now my grandson can go to school and become anything he wants in the future!” saysTiek's grandmother, with tears of gratitude in her eyes. “Now he will see his family and his friends through his beautiful eyes,” the mother joyfully adds.