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A Mabopane family was elated when Gogo Joyce Khunyedi (70) was given her full sight back as part of World Sight Day recently.

Last Thursday, miracles were performed on 160 patients as they received the gift of sight at the Pretoria eye institute in Arcadia.

Clear vision was brought back to the patients for free, by various ophthalmologists from the institute as part of their unclouding cataracts campaign which aims to remove cataracts through surgery.

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Khunyedi said over the years, she had noticed that her eyesight was not 100 percent, which led her to get subscription glasses.

However, the glasses did not really assist her for long.

I noticed that my eyesight was deteriorating even more. I knew there was an issue with my eyes.

At some stage, an unknown substance oozed from her eyes.

A cataract removed from a patient.

Khunyedi said she complained to her daughter and her husband about her eyesight and they took action.

Kenneth Malema said he was happy that his mother-in-law was well after surgery.

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She would constantly complain about her right eyesight and at that point, we were very worried as we did not know what was wrong.

Malema said what saddened him was when they first went to George Mukhari hospital and they were told that she could only be assisted in two years time.

Two years was a long period, and we feared that it might get worse within that time. Thats when we approached the institute.

Malema said, however, the institute was very expensive especially without medical aid.

Dr Sanushka Moodley busy removing cataract from a patient.

He said he was pleased to hear of the free initiative the institute offered.

It was a major relief, he said.

Khunyedi said: I am grateful to God. I am extremely happy and I can continue keeping busy.

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Now I can continue taking care of my garden and washing clothes.

She said keeping herself busy through chores was soothing.

The institute has operated on more than 3 000 patients as part of the unclouding cataracts campaign.

Dr Sanushka Moodley busy removing cataract from a patient.

Institute marketing and communication manager Maryke Lotz said: For us at the institute and the many other people who help make this possible, sight is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Year after year, operation after operation, we are humbled by the enormous difference that this relatively small procedure makes in peoples lives.

Lotz said the impact of cataracts often extended beyond the trauma of lost sight.

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Small childrens motor development is delayed, people lose their jobs as a result of losing their ability to see, and solutions are delayed by a lack of medical aid or dwindling funds.

She said the consequences of cataracts were endless and impacting not only the sufferers, but those around them.

That is one of the reasons why each individual story and the challenges behind each operation continue to inspire us on to even greater things.

Dr Sanushka Moodley busy removing cataract from a patient.

Cataracts are formed by the clouding of the normally transparent crystalline lens in the eye, causing blurry vision.

An ophthalmologist at the institute Dr Sanushka Moodley said there was currently a waiting list of 500 patients, and it was growing daily.

This may sound like a source of concern, which it is, but above all, it motivates and inspires us and many other stakeholders to try even harder to keep on giving the gift of sight, she said.

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Families happy as sight returns to many on World Sight Day - Rekord North

This entry was posted on October 15, 2019 at 6:44 am and is filed under Eye Sight & Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |