Meet Annick, a 4-year-old child from Rusaka, Mwaro province, in the center part of Burundi. Second in a family of three, Annick began to suffer when her left eye was traumatized by a piece of wood.  While she was brought to hospitals in the neighborhood, they could not help her that much except giving her some painkillers and antibiotics.

Before Annick was referred to CTSOE, she struggled to become the same child she had been before the incident. As her grandmother recounts, “Annick developed a weird behaviour, she stayed isolated, refused to eat and sometimes would keep on crying”.

Dr. Patrick Budengeri, an ophthalmologist who treated and followed Annick throughout her journey to recovery says that the left eye was severely traumatized and the internal structure of the eye tended to come out. “If her eye was not closed immediately, she might have lost it”.

When she arrived at the center, the first intervention was to close the eye and reposition the structures of the eye. Recently, Annick was at the center for the second medical intervention, after two months. Dr. Patrick is proud of the evolution. “Her eye is calm now but has retained a scar. Fortunately, the scar is a little lower on the visual axis which will allow it to keep at least 80% of her vision”.

As for her grandmother, she is happy that the child is doing better and can play with others just like before. “Next year, I will send her to school like other children”.