MELODY MUPETA
Kitwe
IN SPITE of myths that undergoing a cataract surgery could permanently damage one’s eyes, Henry Mabo, 68, of Ngabwe, allowed eye specialists to operate on him.
Mr Mabo lost his sight in his right eyesight last year due to cataracts. With that loss of sight in his eye came many complications.
Daily activities like fishing and farming, among others, became difficult for Mr Mabo. “I visited many health facilities who only recommended eye drops because all of them had no capacity to perform the surgery,” he says.
Other health personnel recommended that he travels to Kabwe or Kitwe for surgery. But that came at a cost that he could not afford, leaving him only to hope for a miracle.
Mr Mabo’s hope for a miracle was fulfilled when a team from Zambia Flying Doctor Service (ZFDS) visited his area to offer free eye and dental services.
The ZFDS team was in the district for seven days to offer eye and dental screening services and to operate on people with cataracts. Excited by the news, Mr Mabo rushed to Ngabwe Rural Health Centre, where he was screened.
The eye specialist, Faith Bolton, found that he had cataracts in both eyes even though the one on the right side was ‘premature’.
“We can operate on the left eye with mature cataract while the other side cannot be operated on because it is not yet mature,” Ms Bolton told him.
Read more: eNews Daily Mail | Without Fear Or Favour (daily-mail.co.zm)
