PETALING JAYA, 31 March 2009 – A 14-year-old boy with a chronic eye disease has found new hope.

He underwent a corneal transplant at Tun Hussein Onn National Hospital last month. Mathialagan Murugesu suffered from keratoconus for four years before he was sponsored by Scope International Malaysia Sdn Bhd for surgery. The fifth of six siblings said his sight was normal until one day when he had difficulty reading the blackboard. He experienced intense itching and discomfort daily. As his vision deteriorated, he could no longer open his left eye.

Dr P. Saras, the opthamology consultant and surgeon who treated Mathialagan, said she was pleased with his progress. "Now he can read four lines from the eye chart compared with two lines before the surgery. This shows he is on the way to recovery," she said. Dr Saras said the eye disease was common in children, teenagers and adults in their 20s. During the initial stages, the blurred vision could be corrected with spectacles, but eventually the person needed a corneal transplant. Mathialagan said he could not wait to play football with his friends. "I feel very blessed that the surgery was possible.

"All I want is to get well so I can study, play football with my friends and help my mother at home." Mathialagan is expected to fully recover in six months. A single parent, Rajaispasri P. Muthiah, is extremely grateful that her son had the surgery. International Software Centre Malaysia head Goh See Wee said that Mathialagan was the third person to benefit from the Scope International "Seeing is Believing" programme. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered Plc, United Kingdom, donates RM40,000 annually to the hospital to fund sight restorative surgery for blind children and teenagers suffering from keratoconus. Since 2003, Standard Chartered has donated RM745,000 to help prevent blindness among Malaysians.