Mr Majdi Zaki Asmar, Askar Refugee Camp, February 2012

36 year old baker, Majdi Zaki Asmar lives in the Askar Refugee Camp on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus.

Known to the St .John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem since 1991, when the 16 year old Majdi was referred to us for Keratoconus in his left eye, he was admitted to the hospital in February this year to undergo corneal graft surgery in both eyes. 

Keratoconus is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve.

The condition can cause substantial distortion of vision, with multiple images, streaking and sensitivity to light all often reported by the patient. It is typically diagnosed in the patient's adolescent years and attains its most severe state in the twenties and thirties.

The surgery was successful, but Majdi must also now wear a hard contact lens in his left eye to achieve 6/6 vision and working in a bakery with loose flour will only aggravate his condition.  He has been advised to look for alternative employment in order to protect his eye. 

In the meantime, now married with five children between the ages of three and ten, Majdi’s work in the bakery pays only 1500 NIS every month (around £250), which is not a lot with which to look after a large family – or to pay medical bills. 

His case examined by our Social Worker in Jerusalem, SJEHG exempted Majdi from the expense of his hard lenses. 

The patient described his stay at our Jerusalem Hospital as very comfortable.  He thanked all at the hospital for giving him the treatment that he needed despite his difficult financial situation