Seeing the Light in Sudan

This morning I saw the front page story in USAToday regarding the worsening conditions in Sudan. One of the biggest solvable health problems in Sudan is blindness due to Trachoma. Trachoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world.

According to the World Health Organization, Trachoma affects the poorest of the poor, is highly contagious, and spreads through contact with eye discharge from an infected person and through transmission by eye-seeking flies. After years of repeated infection, the inside of the eyelid may be scarred so severely that the eyelid turns inward and the bristly lashes rub on the surface of the eyeball, scratching it. If untreated this condition leads to blindness.

Infected children need to be treated with antibiotics; adults with trichiasis need lid surgery. You can stop the cycle of trachoma, one of the most common diseases in the world. It affects 146 million men, women and especially children in the world. You can treat 50 children with trachoma-fighting antibiotics for just $50.

Dr. Sture Nyholm, an ophthalmologist, and his wife, Eunice, originally from Finland, are stationed full-time in Kenya and southern Sudan, treating eye conditions and preventing blindness due to Trachoma and other causes. They are true heroes. May God bless all that they do.

You can support their work in Sudan by giving here.