An 8-hour journey for a Laotian woman to restore clear vision with the help of GX Foundation

What can HK$3,000 do in Laos? It can help a cataract patient in Laos regain a clear vision and change their life. 

However, cataract surgery is still unaffordable for ordinary Laos, as people earn only US$2,150 (HK$16,770) per year on average. 

Even harder for Wandee, a 70-year-old lady living in the countryside without any income. 

But GX Foundation changed Wandee’s life. The Hong Kong-based non-government organization arranges mainland medical teams with experience in cataract treatment and advanced medical equipment, to offer free cataract surgeries to patients in Laos and other four developing countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. 

In the GX Foundation’s partner hospital in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, Wandee was waiting for check-ups to prepare for cataract surgery, accompanied by her 80-year-old husband. 

She told The Standard that though she had cloudy vision for over a year, the jobless couple can’t afford the surgery in the country which costs 7 million Lak (HK$2,955). 

After learning about the successful case from her neighbor, Wandee and her husband decided to go for the free cataract surgery, a kind of humanitarian assistance offered by the GX Foundation. 

In Laos, there are two types of cataract surgeries, costing 3 million Lak and 6-7 million Lak respectively. The patients would usually go for the expensive ones, as the cheaper ones have a low success rate and could cause postoperative infection due to the lack of qualification. 

The arrival of the GX Foundation did change the life of Wandee and other cataract patients in Laos, one of the world’s poorest countries, helping them out of the inconveniences in daily life and greatly easing the family burden. 

Wandee wants to have a walk near her home and cook some of her favourite specialties for herself, back the normal life with a clear vision and without relying on anyone. 

Nonetheless, the way to regain clear vision is not easy. Wandee and her husband spent eight hours on the bus to Vientiane from their home in Sainyabuli Province, bordering Thailand. 

Moreover, the 8-hour journey cost the couple 300,000 Lak, noted Wandee’s husband. He added that many cataract patients even can’t afford the bus fee. 

Luckily, GX Foundation will visit the less developing areas out of Vientiane to look for cataract patients who might need surgery. 

Thanks to the Hong Kong NGO’s efforts, over 2,700 cataract patients have regained clear vision. 

GX Foundation aims to eliminate cataract blindness in Laos, Cambodia, Djibouti, Senegal, and Mauritania in the first stage. It is established and chaired by Leung Chun-ying, the former chief executive of Hong Kong SAR and now the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.