Improving views on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
A Jiading medical team traveled more than 1,800 kilometers to Jiuzhi County on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, often called "the ridge of the world," in Qinghai Province earlier this month. These "messengers of brightness" offered local residents with eye diseases a second chance to view this colorful world.
"Tashi delek," said Jiamao, meaning "thank you" in Tibetan. On September 1, Jiamao put a white hada (a scarf that is a traditional Tibetan gift) around the necks of the Jiading medical workers with a big smile that hadn't been seen for a long time.
Before that day, the world of 28-year-old Jiamao was completely black, as she was not only blind but also deaf. She underwent a difficult surgery that carried high risk, because both of her eyes had severe cataracts and she is also mentally ill.
Fortunately, the medical team completed the phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation successfully, and Jiamao regained her vision. In addition, the team removed a cataract from her father's left eye.
This was the 16th Jiading-Jiuzhi Bright Travel medical team with 19 oculists from Ruijin Hospital North Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University and Jiading Central Hospital.
Cao Wenjie, chief of Jiading Central Hospital's ophthalmology department, has made the trip to Jiuzhi for the past eight years and performed more than 200 operations.
"I felt so delighted to see how Jiamao has recovered. When she put the hada around my neck, I could see her moving faster than before," said Cao.
In addition, the medical team worked in clinics and provided guidance for local medical workers.
Jiading has organized similar missions to assist villagers in Jiuzhi every June and August since 2014, carrying out ophthalmological treatments and preoperative screenings.
Cao Wenjie (right) checks a patient's eyes in Jiuzhi County.
