Year-end Orbis Appeal - Ly from Vietnam who couldn't see well due to strabismus

You can Create A Brighter World For Children Like Ly

It doesn’t come in a box. It’s not wrapped with a pretty bow. But it’s the best gift a child could ask for. And it could be from you. For the children and families we support, vision is the gift that will change their lives forever.

One little girl helped by our supporters is four-year-old Ly, the daughter of rice farmers in Vietnam. She was born with strabismus — a condition in which both eyes do not look in the same direction, and which can lead to blindness if left untreated.

It was devastating for Ly’s mother, Thuy, to watch her child struggle: “Sometimes I would see other children tease her and make jokes about her eye problem.

Year-end Orbis Appeal: Ly, who was struggling to see, sits patiently waiting to be screened

Ly, who was struggling to see, sits patiently waiting to be screened

But Ly’s parents — who worked day and night just to feed and clothe their children — couldn’t afford medical care for their daughter. Can you imagine Thuy’s joy when she learned that Ly would receive free surgery from Dr. Wagner, an Orbis Volunteer Faculty member. All thanks to the generosity and kindness of our supporters. Before her vision-restoring surgery, Ly had never seen her mother’s face clearly.

She could finally imagine a bright future for her little girl!

We believe all mothers should have the same assurance. But in our world, one in seven people suffer from avoidable blindness or visual impairment. And for so many, hope and healthy sight are still out of reach.

Year-end Orbis Appeal: Brave little Ly waiting for her vision restoring surgery

Brave little Ly waiting for her vision restoring surgery

Visual Impairment in Vietnam

When Ly received successful surgery on board our Flying Eye Hospital — before in-person programs were temporarily delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — she was just one of hundreds of children and adults who received free treatment for blindness and vision loss. And these procedures gave hands-on training to more than 100 doctors, anesthetists, nurses and technicians.

With each eye health professional we train and every surgery we perform, your generosity ensures that families and communities have brighter, more secure futures. And the need for more trained doctors and other professionals is great.

In Vietnam...

How You Can Change More Lives Like Ly's

Behind each of these numbers are children like Ly waiting to see. Your generosity will reach a family like Ly’s. As her mother says, “Now that she’s had surgery, I just hope that my child can have a better life.”

With your help, we can improve the lives of more children, help communities break the cycle of poverty and create a legacy of healthy sight — in Vietnam and in every country where Orbis works.

With restored vision, children can attend school, parents can support their families and the positive economic impact multiplies four times.

Year-end Orbis Appeal: Ly can see well again after vision restoring strabismus surgery

Now Ly's vision is sharp and her future is bright — thanks to our generous supporters!

Despite the pandemic, we are moving forward with in-person programs wherever we safely can, and supporting our partner hospitals around the world that are continuing to deliver urgent eye care.

Our award-winning and innovative telemedicine platform, Cybersight, uses the internet to connect our expert volunteer doctors with health professionals worldwide — allowing them to train doctors remotely and assess difficult cases from great distances. Now, the coronavirus crisis has made the need for all of Orbis’s pioneering work more critical than ever before.

By supporting our work today, your generosity will help us reach another precious child like Ly before it’s too late to save their sight

You Can Make a Difference

If you make a gift today, it will do more than transform one patient’s life — it will make a lasting difference for their entire community and country.

On behalf of the Orbis family, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. Thank you for your continued support!

Make A Gift Today

Create A Brighter World For Children Like Ly

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