Gift of vision for 17 people
GILBERT Knowell is looking forward to being able to play with his grandkids after undergoing cataract surgery.
Mr Knowell, 60, will take off his eye patch today after undergoing the half-hour procedure yesterday.
He was one of 17 Indigenous people to be given their sight back through a Fred Hollows Foundation program with the Darwin Private Hospital. The intensive day was to help reduce the surgery waiting list.
The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Indigenous Australia Program manager Shaun Tatipata said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were 12 times more likely than other Australians to have untreated cataracts, but are less likely to receive surgery.
“Even before COVID, only 37 per cent of the need for cataract surgery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the greater Darwin region was being met,” he said.
“Because of COVID-19 people who have been on the waiting list for cataract surgery had to wait even longer.
“There are not enough public eye health services and most ophthalmologists work in the private sector, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are less likely to have private health insurance.”
It’s the third time Darwin Private Hospital and ophthalmologist Dr Tharmalingam Mahendra have participated in the program.
Mr Knowell first noticed his eyesight in his right eye deteriorating more than two years ago. The cataract made it difficult for him to complete daily tasks and look after his wife Marlene, who has health issues. He said he’s looking forward to playing with his seven grandkids again.
“I do the shopping and I clean up here, mop the floor.
Sometimes I do the cooking. It will be better once my eye is fixed,” he said.
Caroline Spicer, 74, is having her second eye surgery after having a cataract removed from her left eye in March after she noticed she couldn’t see properly, and her eyes would water.
“Straight away I could see. I danced out of the theatre. I was so happy,” she said.
She urged others to get their eyes checked and to not be wary of the surgery: “Don’t be nervous; it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Ronald “Bimbo” McMahon, 69, said he was most looking forward to reading the NT News, once his surgery was completed. “I like to see the sports results,” he said.