Teen regains 80% of vision

A VISUALLY impaired Hanover Park teenager has regained more than 80% of his vision after he underwent an operation to have permanent contact lenses inserted into his eyes.

Two years ago Riyaaz Carolissen, 18, had a corneal transplant after he was diagnosed with keratoconus, losing nearly 90% of his vision.

Keratoconus is a disorder of the eye which results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, nearsightedness and light sensitivity.

Carolissen lost vision in his right eye due to severe scarring and irregularity of his cornea. At the time doctors thought no glasses or contact lenses could re-establish vision in his eye.

His mother, Shaqeelah, said it had been a tough journey where they had to fund-raise and depend on the goodwill of others to have her son realise his dream of playing soccer and pursuing a profession in upholstery.

“We had to host many fund-raisers to come up with the money to cover the operation’s cost. It cost us R29 000 for the procedure where he would have contact lenses implanted,” she said.

Shaqeelah said her son contracted the ocular irregularity at the age of 5.

“He wasn’t able to look into bright light or even when we were in the car and the sun reflected off the windscreen Riyaaz would hang his head down low to avoid the sharp sunlight,” she said.

Shaqeelah said she was grateful for all the help received, especially from an Athlone organisation who assisted with donations towards her son’s operation.

“The team at People Aiding Lives Selflessly (Pals) really helped my son a lot and realising the efforts to have the implants done. We are eternally grateful for their help,” she said.

Pals chairperson Faizel Firfirey said: “Our organisation is there to assist people in a multi-functional way. We see to the needs of orphans, widows and students. We don’t have a big monthly budget to assist but we try our best to come on board to assist those who need it most.”