ORBIS EyeReport 7 - Meet Esther in Uganda - 2010

Meet Esther, a 5-year-old little girl who dazzled our hearts and brought a smile to the Flying Eye Hospital, touching each and every person she encountered from our staff to our local doctor participants to our volunteer faculty and the other patients her smile and personality was infectious.

With a smile and personality as such, you would never guess that she was orphaned at the age of 2 and was left with her grandmother. Falling ill, her grandmother could not care for her, which is when she went to live with her maternal aunt I distinguish maternal aunt because Esther calls her aunt Mommy being too young to retain any memories of her natural mother and thinking that her aunt is her mom.

As volunteer faculty member, Dr. Dan Neely of Indiana Universitys School of Medicine, explains Esthers eyes were severely crossed because of the medial rectus the muscle in the orbit of the eye that keeps the pupil closer to the midline of the body. For Esther, this muscle prevented her eyes from proper alignment and, as a result, hindered her eyes from normal development.

Ugandas healthcare performance is ranked as one of the worst in the world according to the World Heath Organization and has approximately half a million blind people in its country mostly due to cataract and corneal scarring. Pediatric strabismus was a clinic greatly appreciated and valued during the last Flying Eye Hospital program in 2008, which is why ORBIS has included this clinic in both weeks of program, giving children like Esther the opportunity for normal eye development and for the local doctors to attain the skills to treat more patients like Esther in the near future.

produced by: Perry Athanason/ORBIS International

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• pediatric ophthalmology
• ORBIS International
• avoidable blindness
• Uganda
• strabismus
• Dr. Dan Neely
• Flying Eye Hospital
• photography
• health

[applesweeter]

I add this video to my Playlist called "Sky-R-Us" so that you video can be viewed by audience in contact of my playlist.

[applesweeter]

Great to see that the girl regain her normal vision.

Perhaps, she will become a pilot when growing up.

[wampande]

thanks for this great work may bless you

[Borat2borat]

My syster has crossed eyes too.

[pooolfc]

Its really amazing what you guys do!! Thank you so much for the great work and may the good lord reward u generously!!! I mean i grew up in Uganda but moved and growing up with someone with crossed eyes we thought it was natural and can never be straightened?! Thanks again!!

[atrevida26]

Awesome! And the thin long blond hair giril you see accompanying Esther is MY sister! WOW!!!!

[atrevida26]

Awesome! And the thin long blond hair girl you see at the beginning, accompanying the Esther, is MY sister!

WOW!