This is little Dorothy Daka. You might remember last August when I went with her father to the village to bring her and her mother back to Lusaka. Dorothy was born with glaucoma in one eye due to high pressure in that eye before she was born.
The doctors have been working with her to relieve and stabilise the pressure and then a cornea transplant could take place. On this day her parents were terribly worried while the doctors relieved the pressure in the eye.
It was very difficult for the parents to watch.
A friend of ours, Aggie, works at the hospital and she came in to calm Precious, the mother.
It was a fascinating procedure to watch but scary because Dorothy was so little.
Once it was over, Mom was all smiles, but she had some sleepless nights ahead.
It was the rubbing of eyes that was difficult for Dorothy to avoid.
This photo was a few weeks later for one of her check ups.
The surgeons come from India once a month to take care of many people. It is a for-profit business but their prices are reduced so more Zambians can afford procedures. The biggest problem is that the majority of Zambians just do not have even that level of income to have a basic health procedure.
Dorothy's new cornea transplant was scheduled for the end of March but she just hasn't been thriving and putting on weight like she needs to. She is on formula and solids now but still the doctor felt that they should wait until she is much stronger. Hopefully by the time she is ready for school both her eyes will look the same.
