On April 26, at the "Million Bright Eyes" event, Dr. Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy - Executive Director of Dong Do Hospital - shared: The charity project " Free Your Eyes" - Free for the eyes has brought light to more than 500 poor patients through free examinations and surgery for eye diseases such as cataracts, refractive errors...
The story of Do Minh Quan (born in 2024, in Hoa Binh) also moved many people. Born into a family with both parents who are blind, Minh Quan was discovered to have congenital cataracts when he was only 2 months old. With difficult economic circumstances, her dream of bright eyes seems to have ended. But thanks to the Free Your Eyes program, I have had timely surgery and now, my bright dragon eyes are proof of a promising future.
Patient Vu Quynh Anh (18 years old, in Thanh Hoa) suffered from white-ripe cataracts, and could only distinguish between good morning and night. Since she was a child, Quynh Anh had to face diabetes, which led to serious complications that directly affected her eyes.
Quynh Anh confided that she gave up surgery and eye treatment because her family was poor, had no money, and loved her mother for her hard work. But deep down, I still long to have bright eyes to go to school like my peers... After receiving treatment and surgery at the hospital for free, my eyes have become clear again.
Doctor Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy added that the Free Your Eyes Project sponsors all costs for treating eye diseases such as refractive errors, lohim, cataracts, congenital diseases, conjunctivitis... for people in especially difficult circumstances, contributing to spreading humanistic values and improving the quality of community eye care.
With the aspiration to bring light to the unfortunate eyes, the charity project Free Your Eyes started on May 14, 2022, has continuously spread love to thousands of people across the country.
From 2022 to present, the medical team of Dong Do Hospital has successfully examined and treated more than 500 cases of eye diseases such as cataracts, refractive errors... Not stopping there, the hospital has also organized many volunteer trips to remote areas such as Son La, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, providing free eye examination services for nearly 10,000 people.
One of the next meaningful activities of the project is the program "100 free endometriosis injections" for patients with serious eye bag disease.
Doctor Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy added that the rate of refractive errors in Vietnamese children is increasing, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Refractive errors, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism... can occur at any age, commonly in students, office workers, people who are exposed to electronic devices. General statistics from the Ministry of Health show that Vietnam has 5 million children with refractive errors, of which myopia accounts for the majority. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that 50% of the global population is likely to be nearsighted by 2050.
"The need for care and treatment of refractive diseases is therefore increasing, requiring patients to choose the optimal treatment method, suitable for their age, while ensuring the ability to recover quickly after surgery. In addition to efforts in free eye examination and surgery programs for the poor, Dong Do Hospital is a pioneer in applying modern technology in ophthalmic treatment, notably bringing the world's leading advanced SmartSight laser surgery technology to Vietnam," Dr. Thuy informed.
