A New Year's gift: a new lease on life

Charity event gives hundreds the chance to see the world anew

Hundreds of residents attended a free eye clinic hosted by the Confucius Institute.

As the Chinese community across the world celebrated the annual Spring Festival last month with fire-crackers, a section of the community in Kenya was giving back to society to mark the event.

The Confucius Institute at Kenya's Egerton University and Nanjing Agricultural University in China, in partnership with the Lions Club of Nakuru, Nairobi Women's Hospital and Lions Sight First Eye Hospital in Loresho, came together to successfully hold a free eye clinic.

A total of 370 patients received treatment for various eye conditions, while those diagnosed with eye cataracts will receive free surgery to rectify the condition in Nairobi, courtesy of the Lion's Club, says Naeem Mughal Bhola, a Lions Club member and former president of the club.

Mughal says that during the last eye camp, held in partnership with the Egerton University's Confucius Institute in November, 32 patients were diagnosed with cataracts and were successfully operated on 28 of them.

Li Yuan, the director of the Confucius Institute, said the event was to commemorate the Chinese Spring Festival.

Li's wife, Chen Shanqin, was part of the team of doctors at the event carrying out free eye checks. The two also successfully underwent a checkup and were diagnosed as fit.

"This is the first Spring Festival my wife, and I and all the other Chinese lecturers are spending abroad. We miss the celebrations back in Nanjing but this is also a unique experience for us, and we are very happy to help the local people access eye treatment," Li said.

The professor said they had met the other nine Chinese faculty members of the Confucius Institute on Chinese New Year Eve and shared a meal.

While the Chinese New Year's Eve is meant to be a day for family reunions, Li said his wife Chen, Professor Liu Gaoqiong and Professor Huang, together with the other Chinese nationals teaching Chinese language and Chinese culture at the institute were his family this year.

This was the second time the Confucius Institute partnered with the Lions Club of Nakuru to host a free eye clinic. Last year, they held another camp in November at which 750 patients were treated at one of the club's camps at Kabarak University, Nakuru county.

Last year's camp was held to mark the Confucius Institute's first birthday, as well as the Lions Club's 50th anniversary.

Hundreds of residents from Njoro, Elburgon, Turi and the larger Nakuru county filled the Human Anatomy Complex at Egerton University's main campus in Njoro, Nakuru county, to receive free eye treatments.

The event was also an opportunity for the residents to have their body mass index and blood sugar checked by doctors from the Nairobi Women's Hospital, Nakuru branch.

The hospital had sent a team of doctors to the event and was carrying out the examinations on all patients who came to have their eyes checked. They were led by Dr Philip Gacheru.

Grace Wangoi, one of the patients who received treatment at the camp, said she sought treatment at the event because she was experiencing blurred vision and pain in her eyes.

"I have had an eye condition since I was in high school several years ago," the 22-year-old said. She was given eye drops to help manage her condition.

Naomi Wanjiru, 19, was another with an eye disorder who visited the camp. She was treated and given medicine to apply in her eyes at home. Like Wangoi, she also complained of blurry vision.

Neema Wambui, 11, was diagnosed with keratoconus and will need corrective surgery to fully regain her sight.

"Neema has keratoconus which means her cornea is either deformed or conned shaped. Light therefore, does not form at the back of her retina. The only help for her condition is in some cases a cornea transplant," Mughul said.

Keratoconus is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than the more normal gradual curve.

Peter Ndwiga, the marketing and public relations manager at the Lions Sight First Eye Hospital, Loresho, Nairobi county, said the hospital has a waiting list of about 2,000 patients who need new corneas from donors, yet they have very few in the bank.

Ndwiga, who was active trying to direct patients on where to begin the eye checkup, was also the head of the team of seven doctors from the hospital who were undertaking eye examinations at the clinic.

"It is expensive importing corneas into the country. One cornea costs about $1,300, and very few families. especially in rural Kenya, can afford that. And that is just the importation fees. The surgery fee is not included."

Arun Shah, another club member, flanked by the club president Silesh Sheth, said the club is advocating for more Kenyans to come forward and donate their corneas, which will go a long way in helping many young Kenyans have a bright future.

"We have been importing corneas from Sri Lanka and the United States for quite some time now. We, however, appeal to Kenyans from all walks of life to come forward and donate their corneas," he said.

Shah said the club has held free eye camps for the last five years and that two years ago, it helped Linda Biwott, 16, receive a cornea transplant after a club member donated his cornea in 2013. Linda is now living a normal life and is a student at the University of Nairobi.

Mughal attributed the high numbers of people with eye disorders at the camp to the many flower farm workers in the county, and said sight was the noblest gift any human being can bestow upon another.

"The Lions Club regularly holds free eye camps in the county to assist the many flower farm workers who are affected by pesticides from the farms."

Naivasha area in Nakuru county is home to more than 50 major flower farms in the country.

Because of the booming flower industry, Naivasha has a population of more than 300,000, most of whom are flower farm workers.

According to the Kenya Flower Council, a body with more than 70 percent membership of all flower exporters in the country, Naivasha is Europe's prime source of fresh flowers and vegetables, with exports to the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom.

For China Daily