Here at the Yangon Eye Hospital, an amazing 1 has recently occurred.
In a matter of weeks, a joint medical team from Nepal and Burma will have completed more than 1200 free cataract (白内障) operations—a treatable eye disease that 2 impaired vision—and sometimes blindness. The numbers are 3 , but for the hospital director, Dr. Tin Win, a big part of the problem is lack of knowledge.
"The tradition in Myanmar is that they are very apprehensive to 4 surgery so they don"t want to be operated on. They are afraid. They accept a cataract as an aging process. It"s true. It"s an aging process but this process can be 5 by surgery," said the doctor.
The massive 6 is being led by Nepalese Dr. Sanduk Ruit, who helped develop the low-cost, high-volume and surgical technique that replaces the eye lens. Dr. Ruit"s team from the Tilganga Eye Center has 7 operations in locations such as North Korea and Indonesia. Now, the doctor is eager to help spread his expertise and training in a country where basic medical assistance is still too 8 for most.
"It"s very important that we take this service to the community level at different parts of Myanmar and I hope the Ministry of Health will give us non-obstructive passage," said Dr. Ruit. The surgery can be a life 9 moment for many of these patients, who have had difficulty seeing for years.
While the first group of patients 10 to their improved vision, the team hopes to train community doctors and paramedics to continue the work.