Fridah Wanyonyi, an 81-year-old woman, faced vision problems for the past two years. Initially, she experienced itchiness and watery eyes, but eventually, her right eye lost complete vision, perceiving only light, while her left eye could only see blurry objects. During an outreach clinic in April 2022, Fridah was accompanied by her grandchild due to her poor vision. Subsequently, a patient advocate informed her about an upcoming clinic in her area, prompting her to seek medical attention. After an examination by a clinician, she was referred to a hospital for cataract removal surgery.
At the hospital, an ophthalmologist examined Fridah’s eyes and recommended operating on her right eye first, as it had severe vision loss. The surgery took place in July of this year, and Fridah’s right eye now has significantly improved vision. Upon returning to the outreach clinic, Fridah eagerly shared her testimony, expressing her newfound independence and joy at being able to attend the clinic by herself, something she hadn’t been able to do for two years.
Fridah also informed other patients at the clinic that she had referred four individuals to the hospital for eye surgeries. She highly recommended the hospital, praising the friendly staff who genuinely care and provide excellent services to help people achieve better vision. Additionally, she expressed gratitude for the outreach clinics, as they played a crucial role in connecting her with the hospital and encouraged others in the community to seek help there.