MÉRIDA, January 27, 2020.- Although diabetes stole her sight little by little for a space of three years, Yolanda Cab Chan, 49, never lost her desire to recover her vision, and now, thanks to the alliances for health between Mexico and the United States, she was able to see the light again.
This alliance is the sum of efforts between the System for the Integral Development of the Family (DIF Yucatán) and specialists in optometry from the United States. Yolanda was part of the group of 14 local people chosen to be intervened, as part of the First Annual Retinopathy Diabetic Day.
“I am happy to see again. Now I can sew by hand, help in the house and cook for my family as I did before, ”said Doña Yolanda, who lives with her husband and five children in the community of San Martín Hili, Tekax, Yucatán.
Yolanda explained that at age 29, her life changed when she was detected with diabetes. With the passage of time, this disease also caused her to lose her sight and stopped her from doing what she liked so much: cooking for her family.
“It’s good that DIF and doctors in the United States support people. When they told me that I was going to be able to see again, I couldn’t believe it, but today I am excited because I can see and I feel better than ever, ” she said.
Like Yolanda, another 13 people were practiced laser surgery at the facilities of the Regional Hospital of High Specialty of the Yucatan Peninsula (HRAEPY), with the participation of specialists from the Rosemberg School of Optometry, San Antonio , Texas, and Vision Care Ophtalmology Hospital, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, both in the United States.
Ana Jiménez Coral, head of the Department of Medical Services of the DIF Yucatan, reported that medical evaluations were performed on 67 patients from 23 municipalities. In the end, 14 patients were selected who, in addition to complying with medical requirements, due to the degree of involvement of retinopathy, required laser treatment.
“With this project, we reiterate our commitment to improve the quality of life of the Yucatecans, with high quality medical services that help improve their health,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jeannette Wong, a PhD in Optometry from the Rosemberg School of Optometry, said that diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, and more than 80 percent of people with diabetes do not know that they are at great risk.
“This condition can be prevented by timely informing patients with diabetes about the risks of the disease, with a timely diagnosis and with the appropriate treatment,” said the specialist.
During three days, Dr. Joseph Pizzimment, a professor at the Rosemberg School of Optometry, along with a team of three students and one more resident, also came to Yucatán to offer their services free of charge to the population.
Doctors María Fernanda Castrejón Mariño and María Alejandra Vale Oviedo also participated, as well as Retinologist Carlos Eduardo Estrada Reyes and Dr. Marco Antonio de la Fuente Torres, Head of Neurosciences Division of the Regional Hospital of High Specialty of the Yucatan Peninsula (HRAEPY).
The Yucatan Times
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