A 15-year-old boy from Eswatini with severe vision impairment was set to return home yesterday with significantly improved eyesight after undergoing a series of eye surgeries in Taiwan over the past month, made possible by efforts from local doctors and broader public-private collaboration.
During a weeklong medical mission to Eswatini in mid-February, Sun Chi-chin (孫啟欽), an attending ophthalmologist at Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH), met a local teenager nicknamed Hsiao Ching (小清), whose uncorrected vision of just 0.1 left him unable to see distant objects clearly or read the blackboard.
“I saw something white in his left eye and thought there might be something we could do,” Sun said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday morning, describing his first impression of the Swazi orphan as “very introverted, with his head always down.”
Photo: CNA
Since the age of nine, Hsiao has been under the care of the Swazi branch of the Amitofo Care Center — a Buddhist NGO founded by Taiwanese monk Venerable Hui-Li, with facilities in several African countries — which invited Sun to visit during one day of his solo volunteer mission to the African country.
Eswatini is one of only 12 states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and the only one in Africa.
With the financial support of a Taiwanese company and assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrangements were made for Hsiao to travel to Taiwan early last month for treatment, Sun said, adding that eye surgeries are rarely performed in Eswatini due to limited medical resources.
While further examinations in Taiwan revealed that Hsiao had previously undergone intraocular lens implantation in both eyes, his right eye was still affected by hyperopia and severe astigmatism, and his left eye had developed severe iridocorneal adhesions and posterior capsule opacity, Sun said.
“Over time, the child could develop glaucoma and corneal swelling, which might eventually lead to complete loss of vision,” Sun added.
To restore his vision, Sun and fellow ophthalmologist Yang Ling (楊嶺) performed a series of surgeries on Hsiao at Keelung CGMH, including intraocular lens replacement and trans pars plana vitrectomy — a procedure to remove the vitreous gel — on the left eye, Sun said.
For the right eye, photorefractive keratectomy, a type of laser eye surgery to correct vision, was performed, he added.
Those surgeries, fully covered by the hospital, significantly improved Hsiao’s uncorrected vision, which now ranges from 0.5 to 0.7 in both eyes, allowing him to see the blackboard clearly and interact with others more confidently, Sun said.
Asked how he felt before the surgeries, Hsiao said that he experienced pain in both eyes and therefore “did not do anything.”
After the procedures, he said he can now do “many things” thanks to his improved vision, such as singing and dancing, adding that one of his goals is to become a doctor in the future.
Having spent about six weeks in Taiwan for treatment and recovery, Hsiao — whose successful case has been described by the hospital as a symbol of the “solid achievements of Taiwan’s medical collaboration with Africa” — was set to return home yesterday evening.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS