Friday, 22 Jun 2007

Surgeon donates sight to blind boy

By KENNEDEE JEFFS - East And Bays Courier | Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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FIONA GOODALL/East and Bays Courier

SIGHT FOR SORE EYES: Pushp Chandra Naidu and his grandson Muni-Manesh Naidu celebrate after an Auckland surgeon volunteered to restore his sight.

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Being blind never stopped Muni-Manesh Naidu's dream of one day becoming a pilot. And it's just as well because the eight-year-old can see clearly for the first time.

Manesh and his grandfather Pushp Chandra Naidu spent three months raising nearly $10,000 to come to New Zealand for specialised intra-occular lens implants in both of his eyes.

But when they arrived, the Naidu's discovered they had only raised enough for one operation.

Theatre nurse Farah Khan, who speaks Hindi, says she overheard the family discussing that they didn't have enough money to cover both operations and she made a heartfelt plea to her colleagues.

Eye surgeon Trevor Gray and the Eye Institute of Newmarket decided to complete the much-needed operation at no cost.

Manesh was left by his parents when he was two to be raised by Mr Naidu, a farmer on Fiji's main island of Vuti Levu.

He was not aware the toddler had been suffering from congenital eye problems since birth but he often noticed Manesh walking into things.

Mr Naidu began visiting doctors in 2002 to find out what was wrong.

In 2004 he appealed to the Fijian government for surgery to address cataracts in Manesh's eyes.

The operation saw Manesh's lenses removed but artifical lenses were never put in to replace them.

Mr Naidu thought the surgery would help Manesh's sight but his classroom teachers said the youngster still couldn't see the blackboard.

In March, after a number of consultations from different doctors, it was found that Manesh's sight needed overseas treatment and he was referred to Dr Gray.

Within an hour of the operation the boy could clearly see traffic lights, number plates and aeroplanes for the first time in years.

"When he said: 'Grandpa, I can see the green light', I had tears in my eyes," Mr Naidu says.

Before the operation Manesh could only see blurry colours, dark and light and shapes if they were close to his face.

Manesh's vision is much-improved and he can read up to the 17th line of an eye chart without glasses. Dr Gray says the results have exceeded his expectations.

"Right now he would pass the driving level of vision without any glasses. He has never seen this well."

Manesh had his second eye operated last Friday and is keen to start a new life and follow his dreams.


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