Volunteers save Thai athlete’s sight

DOCTORS volunteering with Special Olympics saved the sight of a visiting athlete after routine health screening revealed he had a devastating eye disease that would have left him blind.

The 29-year-old Thai sportsman who was suffering from glaucoma was taken immediately to the Mater Hospital in Dublin for further tests and contacts have been set up for him in Thailand so that he can receive treatment when he returns home.

Without treatment, he could expect to be completely blind within 18 months and while doctors can not reverse the damage already done, surgery will save his remaining sight.