Global Impact Supported Clinics Restore Sight, Hope for 2 Guatemalan Boys

When Hector was born, he was a beautiful little boy with a big smile and lots of energy. But he soon became shy, wouldn't speak and wouldn't leave his mother's side or play with the other children. Someone had to carry him because he wouldn't walk alone and would fall. He never went to school because he couldn't see. His parents didn't realize that anything could be done; they didn't know about eye doctors.

Eight-year-old Brian knew he had eye problems. He could not concentrate at school. To read, he had to hold books really close to his face and had to get help from his classmates.

Neither boy's family could afford eye care on their own, but they received help from clinics operated by the International Eye Foundation, a Global Impact-supported organization.

Hector's father is a farmer and his mother works at home. With Hector's 7 brothers and sisters, all 10 live in a one-room house with a dirt floor. The walls and roof are made of a hard plastic. The house includes a small bathroom, but no running water or electricity.

It wasn't until Hector was 5 years old that he was taken to see Dr. Mariano Yee in Guatemala City. They were referred to Dr. Yee by one of his patients, who lives in Hector's town.  It took one and a half hours to get to the clinic by bus. Immediately, Dr. Yee noticed Hector's congenital cataracts and performed cataract surgery. He found that Hector also had a retinal detachment in his left eye that was repaired by the retina specialist.

Cataract surgery on children is a difficult procedure, and the eye's retina has to "learn" to see because the cloudy lens prevented light from entering the eye. Now Hector is "learning to see," said Dr. Yee.

Hector's mother reports her son now likes to go to the store and explore new places by himself. On a return visit, Hector told Dr. Yee, "I want to be an engineer when I grow up."

Even if Brian had known about the eye clinic in El Progreso, his parents in Las Amacas could not have afforded to take him there. Brian is the youngest of four boys. His father, a farmer, earns about $5 a day. His mother stays at home to take care of the house and her family. Brian's grandparents also live with them in their two-room house, which is made of sticks.

Brian's teacher heard about an outreach camp that was set up in Las Amacas by the International Eye Foundation and decided to take all of her students who had some kind of sight problem to have their eyes examined for the first time.

Dr. Yee examined Brian, diagnosed Strabismus, and performed an operation to straighten his eyes. Brian can now see with both eyes and has gained depth perception because he is using both eyes at the same time. Now that he can see better, Brian has returned to a normal life of an eight-year-old.