Goodwill that helps the blind recover sight

As a gesture of hailing the World Sight Day, a team from Yangon Eye Hospital, under the arrangement of the Ministry of Health, made a three-day trip to Kawkareik in Kayin State from 10 to 12 October to give free treatments to local people with eye problems. The team comprised Dr Aye Aye Khaing, Dr Nilar Thein, Dr Hla Kathy, Dr Kathy Myint, Dr Saw Thwin Mon Thein, nurses and opticians led by Deputy Director (Treatment) Dr Kyee Myint of the Health Department and Professor Dr Kan Nyunt.

Everybody wants to have good sight. According to the experts, all over the world there are about 45 million blind people, and about 180 million people with poor eyesight. The number of the blind in the world is increasing by two million annually. So, the number of the blind will double by 2020. The World Sight Day is observed in world nations every year to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. The Ministry of Health has been making all-out efforts to provide health care for the sight of the people.

Major causes that lead to blindness are cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, injuries to eyes, diabetes, and damage to eye lens due to old age. In the past, 43 per cent of the population suffered trachoma. But, now it has fallen drastically to one per cent. And thanks to the trachoma and blindness control project, the disease of trachoma will be eradicated nearly cent per cent soon.

About 80 per cent of the diseases that can lead to blindness are preventable and curable. Loss of sight is followed by physical, social and financial problems. In addition, the State loses invaluable labour of the blind. According to the data collected under the project for prevention and control of trachoma and blindness, the outbreak rate of blindness is 0.58 per cent, accounting for about 750,000 blind people out of the nation’s population 55 million. Of the 750,000 blind persons, about 500,000 lost sight due to cataract. It is curable, and patients with cataract can recover their sight cent per cent if they receive treatments.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health has been arranging trips of eye health care teams to far-flung areas to give free medical treatments to local people with eye problems.

Among the many difficulties that patients cannot go see the eye specialists are poverty, social problems, absence of persons who look after the patients, and absence of persons on whom patients can rely. In order to solve all those problems at one stroke, ophthalmologists equipped with loving-kindness and compassion went to the places of eye patients, and collected the patients. And with the assistance and services contributed by wellwishers, the team members could do the job successfully.

The team arrived in Kawkareik, Kayin State, at about 4 pm on 10 October 2005. We members have made trips to many regions such as Rakhine and Mon States, Ayeyawady and Magway Divisions. The Union of Myanmar is a diverse nation that has a fine tradition that all the national races have been living throughout the history keeping eggs and nest intact sharing weal and woe. So, it is the duty of our team members to give health care to local people.

With sufficient number of specialists, Kawkareik Hospital (100-bed) can provide health care for local people well. Thanks to necessary assistance provided by local authorities and Medical Superintendent Dr Win Zaw, we could start our operation early. We gave medical check-ups to 504 people, and performed free operations on 80 — 69 for cataract and 11 for minor operations. Among 504 people, 400 needed to wear eyeglasses.

Despite the announcement offering free treatments, only about 100 people came for treatments the first day.

However, the following day, 12 October, people not only from the wards in Kawkareik Township but also from nearby villages came to the camp to have their eyes checked. We were very happy to give medical treatments to local people. Some volunteers interpreted for us and local Kayin nationals. Our target was to perform operations on 100 people with cataract. Dr U Nyunt Maung of the trachoma and blindness control project and Medical Superintendent of Yangon Eye Hospital M Gya Naw contributed medical equipment.

On 12 October, we cleaned the eyes of 80 operated patients, conducted eye tests, and provided them with sunglasses and eyedrop tubes. And we gave educative talks on Dos and Don’ts to them. They were very happy because they regained their sight.

Now, many wellwishers and companies are donating cash and kind to the trips for free medical treatments. We thank all who have contributed towards our trip especially Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint and Deputy Minister Dr Mya Oo and officials who made arrangements for the trip.

We team members pledge to step up our efforts to provide health care for the people in accordance with the three objectives of the World Sight Day.

Author :  Dr Nilar Thein (Lin Yaung Thit)