At seven-years-old, Intesham had his eyes screened at school as part of CBM’s sight-saving project in Nepal. It turned out that he had developed cataracts years before and was on the brink of losing his sight for good. Thanks to our incredible supporters, Intesham was able to have life-changing surgery that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.
Intesham was a vibrant a seven-year-old boy from Nepal whose days were filled with laughter, cricket matches with friends, and excelling in subjects at school. But behind his smile, Intesham was silently battling a condition that threatened his bright future.
Unbeknown to his family and teachers, Intesham’s eyesight was deteriorating as cataracts were slowly clouding his vision. It wasn’t until our project offered routine screening in his school that he received his diagnosis.
“We noticed that our son was slightly trying to tilt his head and squint his eyes, but we didn’t realise that this was a problem with his sight. We didn’t notice that there was anything wrong.”
For Intesham’s parents, the news was devastating and the worry of their son losing his sight was taking its toll. Yet, they clung to hope that Intesham could get the treatment he needed to save his eyesight before it was too late.
This is a story that’s all too familiar in Nepal. Thousands of children every day are needlessly blind from cataracts, simply because they don’t have access to the right healthcare.
How we helped
Thanks to our supporters, once Intesham’s cataracts had been diagnosed, he was able to have the surgery he needed at our partner hospital, Biratnagar Eye Hospital, to save his eyesight.
The day after his surgery, Intesham’s bandages were removed. It was clear the operation was a success. Despite the challenges of operating on a young child, Intesham’s surgeon was impressed with his bravery, and plans to monitor his eyes for potential complications. If all remains clear, he can proceed with the next phase of treatment on his other eye.
“I hope that he will get education and go to school.” – Intesham’s mother.
Without our incredible supporters, Intesham would have never received the cataract surgery he desperately needed. Intesham can now continue his education and pave the way for a bright future.
“I would like to thank CBM because if you were not there, we couldn’t have gone to the community and these (children) would have gone blind. There is a certain age limit… But, after that, these children would have gone permanently blind. But now, when we intervene, his brain will get that stimulus and his vision will slowly get restored.” – Intesham’s surgeon.
Together, we can help generations of young people look towards a bright future and reach their full potential.
How you can help
Help us change the lives of thousands of children currently living with cataracts in Nepal.
All photos: ©CBM UK/Kishor
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