Free eye clinic gives hope for the blind
I give way to this article by Jamaica Mae Digo of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation PH. Excerpted:
Keyo Liwanag’s surname denotes brightness. “Liwanag” or “light” also signifies mental clarity or hope. Ironically these were the least Keyo had in the past year.
At 33, Keyo groped in the dark from cataract blindness. His misfortune resulted from dismissing his dimming vision to focus on his father who suffered a stroke seven years ago. Keyo quit his job as seafarer and came home to care for his father. With no steady income for his father’s treatment, Keyo sold property he acquired from years of labor. Nonetheless, Keyo’s father succumbed to his illness. Four months later Keyo’s eyesight totally dimmed, plunging him into darkness.
Still grieving the loss of his father, Keyo could only consult thrice an ophthalmologist in Oriental Mindoro before giving up. “Surgery was expensive. I told them we couldn’t afford it. I became depressed, feeling so helpless. My mother was getting older; I had no income,” Keyo recalled.
Overwhelmed by a bleak future, Keyo urged his life partner Princess Seraspe to leave him while she still could. “He said I might only suffer because of his condition,” Princess shared. “But I refused to leave because I had faith that he will be given a chance to see again so that we can start over.”
For months the couple prayed till an answer came knocking on their door: a friend of Keyo’s mother who underwent successful cataract surgery at Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Encouraged, they contacted another friend, Merly Foz, who opened her home in Manila to Keyo and Princess. Merly also accompanied and assisted Keyo throughout his treatment.
Keyo’s initial consultation with volunteer ophthalmologist Dr. John Solamo on March 2, 2026, yielded this prognosis: because he developed cataracts at such young age for unknown reason, regaining sight after surgery cannot be guaranteed. Still, Dr. John advised, the operation was Keyo’s only chance.
On March 18, Dr. John performed delicate surgery, successfully removing the cataract in Keyo’s right eye. Dr. John’s advice while cleaning up Keyo’s face post-surgery left a deep impression on the young man. “When your vision returns, remember who to thank,” Dr. John, a devout Catholic told him. “God made it happen.”
Princess and Merly, nervously awaiting the surgery’s result, jumped up to greet Keyo with hugs and kisses. “I saw him staggering, unable to walk by himself,” Princess recalled. “It was a huge problem for our family. But now, look at him. It’s a blessing that you [Tzu Chi] had come into our lives and helped him.”
Keyo recalled, “I thought I was a hopeless case. I had given up. I thought I would never see the world again. But now I’m so relieved. I can see well and that makes me so happy.”
Outside, the morning light made everything look brilliant and clear. A stark difference from the darkness Keyo had left behind. Another surgery is due on Keyo’s left eye. Upon recovery, he plans to resume seafaring. Then, to live to the fullest every vibrant day he was given another chance to see.
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Tzu Chi Eye Clinic accepts indigent eye patients. Simply set an appointment by texting your name, birthday, address and eye problem to 0908-811-4709. A specialist will see you at the appointed day and time. Checkups, medicines and operations are funded through PhilHealth and supplemented through donations.
Address: 1000 Cordillera cor. Lubiran Streets, Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Clinic days and hours: Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Offering services for cataracts, glaucoma, eye tumors, squint and diseases of the cornea and retina.
Jamaica Mae Digo is a staff writer and photographer for Tzu Chi Eye Center.
Tzu Chi Eye Center conducts bimonthly missions in Dagupan and Ormoc cities. Last Sunday in Ormoc, it provided free eye checkups for 183 indigents, screening 61 for cataract removal and 28 for pterygium operation. Most will be given corrective lenses.
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Tzu Chi Foundation is a Buddhist Humanitarian Charity organization. Mission: to relieve the suffering of those in need while creating a better world for all through compassion, love and hope.
Tzu Chi, the world’s largest Buddhist humanitarian organization, was founded in Taiwan by Buddhist nun Dharma Master Cheng Yen in 1966. It has over 10 million volunteers in more than 60 countries, with relief operations extended to over 120 countries. The United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) awarded it a special consultative status.
Tzu Chi Foundation has been in the Philippines for 31 years, working in disaster-stricken areas and transforming lives through its various programs in disaster relief and rehabilitation, education, medicine, and environmental protection.
In Mandarin, tzu means compassion and chi relief.
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