Kim Thi Quone is a 68-year-old woman. She was blind in both eyes for five years until she underwent cataract surgery on her right eye a few years ago. Ype Henry, the ophthalmologist at the VU University Medical Centre and a medical volunteer for the Eye Care Foundation, was in Tra Vinh Province (Vietnam) at the time and he performed the operation.
With her eyes full of tears, Kim says that she has been very happy since her surgery. “Before the operation, I felt like I was dead because I could not do anything by myself. I could not take care of myself, I could not feed myself or do any housework. Now I can do everything by myself again. And above all, I can see my loved ones again!”
We asked Kim why she had waited so long:
“At first I did not know that I could be treated. I thought I had an incurable disease. At one point I received a visit from a village health worker, who told me I could have surgery for my condition. But there was simply no one to go with me. Eventually, my daughter-in-law brought me to the hospital for examination.”
Recently, her left eye was operated on and she can now see very well with both eyes.