Woman wants help to save her sight

Christine Swaby-Hall is 54 years old, 29 of which she has spent battling diabetes. The Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine, resident said that even though she has been living with the illness for nearly three decades, things have gone from bad to worse in the last few years. In fact, she has been diagnosed with tractional retinal detachment in the right eye, a condition that requires surgery. She is completely blind in the left eye.

"I have been severely sick since 2019," said Swaby-Hall, who has developed the eye problems since being diagnosed with diabetes. So grave is her situation that she once fell and broke her leg after exiting a bus because she misjudged the height of the sidewalk.

"When I visited Kingston Public Hospital, they informed me that the eye was bleeding from the back. They told me that they were going to do an emergency laser surgery, but they cancelled it because the machine is not working," Swaby-Hall claimed.

Clinicians have said that diabetes can damage persons' eyes over time and cause vision loss, even blindness. Jamaica's health minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, told the House of Representatives in May that an estimated 236,000 people, or nine per cent of the country's population, have diabetes. He said only 106,000 of these persons, or 45 per cent, are aware of their status.

Swaby-Hall, who was 25 years old when she got diagnosed with diabetes, said life has been challenging since her sight deteriorated and she began wearing glasses in 2000. Tasks such as cooking are almost impossible for her.

A mother of two, Swaby-Hall said she became estranged from her husband shortly after her diagnosis with diabetes. She relied on her sister, who was living abroad, for financial assistance. However, when her health deteriorated last year, that sibling visited, thinking it might have been the last time they would see each other. However, in a cruel twist of fate, that sister died from cancer in May.

Swaby-Hall said she has been to several ophthalmologists in the hope that they can help restore the sight in her right eye. However, she reported having limited luck as the specialists have told her that her condition is irreversible. Refusing to accept their prognosis, she kept searching until she found a specialist in the Corporate Area who has given her a glimmer of hope.

"They said that the retina in the right eye is detached and I also have cataract, and it's $1.5 million for the surgery," a tearful Swaby-Hall said. Her tears are borne out of the fact that she has no idea where to find the first dollar to pay for the procedure.

"I don't know where I stand nor what to do," she said.

Persons wishing to assist Christine Swaby-Hall pay for laser surgery may contact her at 876-846-0412.