Abu Dhabi: Despite eight months of sleepless nights witnessing the suffering of their son, Hendelle and Rhoda Santos Caradang are optimistic that little Mathew's eyesight will be restored.
The eight-month-old Filipino baby boy was born with severe glaucoma. He had to undergo eye surgery six times and has to be woken up at frequent intervals at night to administer eye drops, his parents told Gulf News on Saturday.
The Caradangs have had to move to a small room shared by four others as Hendelle does not earn enough as a petrol station attendant to afford an apartment.
The mother is unemployed at the moment. "I was fighting a court case ... with my previous employer after resigning," said Santos, who won the case but could not find a new job.
"Life has been hard during the past eight months, but we are not frustrated or depressed, because this country has been kind to us, although the problems have not been fully solved."
Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi performed a corneal transplantation free of cost for the baby recently, but the doctors said there are chances of the cornea being rejected.
"To minimise that risk, we have to give him the eye drops every three hours. I try my best to apply eye drops without waking him up, but it is not easy," said Santos, who has developed severe headaches due to lack of sleep.
If Mathew is in a good mood, he permits his mother to apply the eye drops. Otherwise he protests as soon as she touches the stitches on his eyes.
Painful
"It seems it is painful for him," said the parents who are optimistic that treatment will be effective.
The room mates are habituated to the baby crying at night, Santos said.
According to doctors, although glaucoma is common in old people, it is very rare in babies — sometimes a one-time experience in the life of an ophthalmolo- gist.
"We don't have a family history of this disease, it is our baby's bad luck," the parents say.
"SKMC is trying its best to help us with the treatment, but we owe a huge amount to the hospital where he was born because ophthalmology treatment was not covered in the insurance," Santos said.
Mathew's eight-year-old sister who is living with her grandmother in the Philippines is eager to meet her brother.
But Santos cannot travel to bring her as her visa has been cancelled. She hopes labour ministry and immigration officials will consider her request to waive fines and transfer the visa to a new employer if she finds a job.
