VietNamNet Bridge – Ly Thi Kieu, a resident of Na Ri District in Bac Kan Province, never thought her daughter would be able to see like other children, but thanks to free eye surgery, her greatest wish has now been turned into reality.

"Doctors told me that Yen would be able to see several weeks after the surgery. My family is so happy for that," said Kieu.

Be Thi Hai Yen, Kieu’s daughter, is four years old and has an innate malformed eyelid, which has been the cause of many vision problems. Born into a poor family, Yen had only a very small chance of having her eyes treated; however, with the support of the programme Children’s Eyes, co-organised by Asian Commercial Bank (ACB) and the Viet Nam Child Protection Fund, she was finally given the opportunity and ability to see the world through normal eyes.

Ta Thi Gai, a resident of Bach Thong District in Bac Kan Province, was also thankful that her 10-year-old daughter, Doan Thi Ly, was able to receive surgery, and that she would no longer be teased by her friends for her squinty eyes.

"My daughter was so sad about her problem. She used to cry a lot when her friends teased her and even asked to drop school. My family and her teachers had to encourage her to stay. She used to be closed off, and I thought she would have to carry her burdens all her life," said Gai.

"But now she is so happy; her eyes are the same as everyone else’s."

Yen and Ly are only two among many children from poor families who have benefited from the programme, Children’s Eyes. The programme, with a total fund of VND160mil (US$10,000) has provided free eye surgery to 133 poor children this year.

According to Cao My Le, Director of the Ha Noi Ophthalmology Hospital, where all of the surgeries are carried out, the hospital will provide these children’s families with adequate consultations and regular check-ups after the surgeries.

"This is a charitable programme with a high value of humanity. The programme not only prevents blindness among children but also helps them a lot in terms of appearance and psychology," said Le.

The country currently has 100,000 visually-impaired children, and 1,500 to 2,000 infants are born with eye-malformations each year, most of whom are from poor families. The Viet Nam Children Protection Fund has provided free eye surgeries for 19,000 poor children since 1998, with a total cost of VND18bil ($1.1mil), while ACB has presented the fund with nearly VND7.5bil ($468,000) to implement programmes and projects supporting poor and disabled children in the last three years.

(Source: Viet Nam News)