In February, I wrote about a little girl in Madagascar with such severe and unusual myopia (nearsightedness) that there was no help available to her in her own country.
This morning we received these photos of 8-year-old Andoniaina (Ando for short) wearing her new glasses specially made for her in Canada.
Ando wearing her new glasses
Ando lives on a small island in the Mozambique Channel, off the southwest coast of Madagascar. To seek help, she and her father travelled one hour by speedboat to Tulear on the mainland, then drove 1,000 kilometres to the capital of Antananarivo to get her eyes examined. They were eventually referred to a hospital in Antsirabe, 170 km south of the capital for a second opinion. That’s where Dr. Henry Nkumbe, Seva’s partner in Madagascar, saw the little girl and asked Seva Canada for help.
Seva then called on longterm supporter and optometrist, Dr. Larry Louie, for his expertise. Together Dr. Louie and his colleague Wayne Trieu of I-Lab Optical in Edmonton created a very special pair of glasses. The glasses were then hand-delivered to Madagascar in time for Christmas by a representative of Sherritt International Corporation, a Canadian resources company.
“Something like this is not usually done and isn’t readily available. That’s what made it challenging,” said Dr. Louie. The typical eyeglass prescription is 2.00 to -3.00 points, but Ando has a prescription of -27.00 points for her right eye and -23.50 points for her left eye. This means that, without glasses, Ando can’t see much beyond the tip of her nose. Ando was essentially blind and would not have been able to see the faces of her family.
Andoniaina and her family
To keep the glasses from becoming too thick and thus brushing against her eyelashes, Dr. Louie and optician Wayne Trieu used special myodisc lenses with two bi-concave lenses on the front and back of each lens. Another challenge was getting a frame that was strong and durable and that would last a long time.
Andoniaina’s story and the way in which Canadians in three provinces came together to help her was featured in the Edmonton Journal and on Global news.
Andoniaina at school with her new glasses
On behalf of Andoniaina, her family and our partner in Madagascar, Seva Canada would like to thank everyone who helped change this young girl’s life by giving her the gift of sight.
Andoniainia in her classroom off the coast of Madagascar
