An Update on Baby Beatrice
Some of you may remember Baby Beatrice, the little patient we met last year during an outreach at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana. At that time, Beatrice was just two months old. Born with cataracts in both eyes, she received surgery from Dr. Doreen Frimpong, a pediatric specialist from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Since Beatrice is still growing, she was too young to have artificial lenses implanted during her surgery. Children like Beatrice are typically fitted with aphakic glasses to improve their sight until they are old enough for intraocular lens surgery. Without aphakic glasses, pediatric patients’ sight will not improve. Young children with early onset severe vision impairment can experience delayed motor, language, emotional, social and cognitive development. With glasses, children like Beatrice have the chance to thrive until they are old enough for corrective surgery.
Right before the new year, Beatrice had a follow-up exam with Dr. Benedicta Appiah-Thompson at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Beatrice is doing great and received her first set of glasses! We are overjoyed to see her developing into a healthy, happy baby.
Beatrice is an example of the continuum of care model HCP and our partners apply to pediatric patients, focusing on high quality, long-term monitoring and follow-up treatment. Beatrice will receive regular check-ups to closely monitor her progress at no cost to her parents, thanks to the compassionate generosity of friends like you.
We will continue to provide updates on Baby Beatrice and her family as Beatrice grows and progresses. Thank you for caring for all of our patients, even the smallest ones, and ensuring they have access to the quality eye care they need.
