Case Study TemplateProject code: 3022Project Name: Strengthening Trachoma, cataract and

refractive error services in West Gurage zonePatient Name: Mekides TessemaGender (male / female): FemalePediatric / Adult: AdultAge: 19Marital status: singleNationality: EthiopianState / Province: Wolkite (Current) East Gojam (previous)Job: Student$ Income: No income (dependent)Eye condition: Visual impairment due to Refractive error

(myopia or shortsightedness) VOD=4/60 of both eyes

Years blind / Low vision: Since child hoodReferred by: (Rural Health Care, Worker, Teacher, Doctor, Women’s Group, Media, Word of Mouth)

She was informed by her aunt, Mrs. Belaynesh who is currently working at Wolkite Secondary Eye Care Unit

Accompanied by: Mekides was accompanied by her auntNames: Belaynesh AbatnehHow did they hear about ORBIS:

Mrs. Belaynesh had been working at Wolkite SECU as a cleaner for a long time and is aware of ORBIS’ work at the eye care center

Mode of transport taken for treatment:

Via public transport

Distance traveled for treatment (km):

368 kilometers away from where Mekides lives: East Gojam, North part of Ethiopia, Amhara Region

Time take for treatment: 2 days$ Cost to travel for treatment:

400 birr

Local doctor name: Abebaw Bezabih (optometrist)Volunteer faculty names: Wolkite Secondary Eye Care UnitDate of treatment: Sept 23,2014Province/State population: 800000 (total project beneficiary)

Case Study TemplateAdults: 440,000 (55% of the total population are

adults)Children: 360,000 (45% of the total population are

children <15 years of old)Pediatric eye care available (Yes/No):

No

Case study narrative – TO BE WRITTEN IN FULL:

Mekides Tessema, 19 years old young girl, lives with her parents in a small town called Bichena, East Gojam, in Amhara Region. She is one of the most high achievers 9th grader students.

She takes her studies very seriously as it is the only way to realize her dream of becoming a doctor! However, she struggles to read and see from distance. She sits at the front desk at her class to keep up with the teacher at the same time with her classmates. But that didn’t help her. She uses all her extra time copying from her friend’s exercise book when she was supposed to be studying.

She needed help; otherwise her problem is compromising her grade. She almost gave up her dream: becoming a doctor because of her eyes impairment.

In the middle of this situation, Mekides’s aunt, Mrs. Belaynesh, took a holiday to visit her hometown and relatives whom currently working at Wolkite Health Care Center in Gurage Zone.

When she heard about Mekides’s situation, she was heartbroken to see her niece struggling just to keep up with her studies that everybody assumes one day would be become someone

Case Study Templategreat.

Mrs. Belaynesh advised Mekides’s parents to take her to the nearest general hospital; however, they couldn’t afford to cover the transport fee let alone to cover the medical expenses.

Mrs. Belaynesh deeply thought about Mekides’s condition. She finally decided to bring her niece to Wolkite Secondary Eye Care Center where she familiarizes herself with ORBIS’ work during her employment as a clearer at the health center for a very long time.

Mekides and her aunt made their way to Wolkite from Bichena District (Amhara Region) before the new year school begins. Their trip took two days which is 368 kilometers away from Wolkite town. As promised, Mrs. Belaynesh took Mekides to the health center as soon as they reached Wolkite town.

The optometrist examined Mekides’s eyes and found out that her vision struggle was caused by refraction error on both of her eyes. Her case is called shortsightedness: myopia in its technical (medical) term.

During her examination on the 23rd of September 2014, her visual acuity was as low as 4/60 on both of her eyes. This has been restricting Mekides seeing from distance and recognizes people’s faces.

The optometrist ordered her an eye glass

Case Study Templatewhich she found easily from the health center which was established by a joint partnership between ORBIS Ethiopia, Brien Holden Vision Institute, and the Regional Health Bureau.

Mekides already begun wearing her glass and her vision is now corrected to 6/18. Her aunt only paid 300 Ethiopian birr for all the service including the eye glass.

Mekides is now living with her aunt in Wolkite, already carried on her school in one of the schools in Wolkite town.

Patient quotes: "Now I can clearly see the teachers note directly from the board. I am also attending few classes given through plasma TV without any problem. Since I got my eye glass, I won’t be needing to ask my classmates to give me their exercise books to copy, I will use all the time I have to study because my dream of becoming a doctor is just revived!”

Family quotes: ''Thank the almighty God, ORBIS, and all the staff at the eye care center for making my niece’s dream come around again!”

Local doctor quotes:

Case Study TemplateEye condition image reference:

Mekides during examination

Mekides after receiving her eye glass“I can see!”