13 children get back their vision
Besides doing the surgery, they also provided the children with all necessary medicines and relevant services.
Thirteen including nine Rohingya children have got their eyesight back after surgery done under Orbis's humanitarian response programme in Cox's Bazar today, said a press release.
Orbis, with the support of the Qatar Fund for Development for the QCV Expanding Eye Care in South East Bangladesh project began the surgeries on October 27.
"We could not imagine that our children will be treated and that their vision will be restored. Now they can study," some Rohingya parents said with joy.
Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) provided surgical assistance to this programme under the supervision of Orbis's partner Cox's Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital.
Besides doing the surgery, they also provided the children with all necessary medicines and relevant services.
The Rohingya patients are Shahida Begum, 2, Md Erfan, 12, Md Sadek, 2, Lalu, 3.5, Enayet Ullah, 10, Tasmina Ara, 6, Shahid, 14, Ataullaha, 12 and Salman, 3; and the local patients of Cox's Bazar are Jasi Moni, 13, Rafiq Alam, 11, Tarek, 7 and Rabiul, 10.
Shahida was born with congenital cataract. She underwent a first surgery, but her sight was fully restored after a second surgical procedure.
Though there are primary eye care services in Cox's Bazar, there is no pediatric surgery facility there.
Dr Merajul Islam and Dr Nasimul Gani of CEITC performed the surgeries at CETIC.
Prior to the surgery, Orbis's team including an optometrist, a counselor and a volunteer carried out sight testing programmes at local primary schools in different areas of Cox's Bazar. Then the children identified with eye problems were referred to CEITC for surgery.
The project has so far examined around 88,000 children and has provided children with around 1000 spectacles.