Paiha lives in Xieng Khouang, Laos. She does not know her exact age, but she thinks she’s 68 years old. Paiha is poor and does not have a house to live in. She has built a small shelter from materials she found.
Paiha has a hard life, but she gets by. However, when she began to lose her sight, everything became even more difficult for her. She used to go to the market to sell vegetables from her vegetable garden and to find leftover food. At one point, Paiha’s sight became so bad that she no longer dared to go to the market. Fortunately, a health worker in the village knew Paiha could not see properly and brought her to a health care center to have her eyes checked. It turned out that Paiha had cataracts in both eyes. Fortunately, the ophthalmologist came to a hospital near her to do cataract surgeries and he was able to operate on Paiha. The operation was successful and Paiha is now able to see clearly with her right eye. She would also like to have surgery on her left eye in the future. Paiha says, “I’m so relieved! I did not know what to do, but now I can see again and take care of myself. Thank you! ”
