Jose sees again
After 2 years of being effectively blind, Jose receives his life back following a simple 20-minute operation.
The last two years have been the hardest of Jose Mak’s life.
He was just 25 years old when he first noticed the change in his left eye. While working in his home his vision quickly deteriorated and he thinks something must have scratched his eye. The truth is, it was the final stages of a cataract setting in. A severe one.
Soon after the left eye blurred, his right eye would also develop a cataract. For 2 years Jose was effectively blind, not being able to see any more than a hand waving in front of his face.
A heavy toll
Life is hard enough in Oecusse, the isolated region in the west of Timor-Leste, earning a living under normal circumstances is a challenge in itself.
In his words, ‘Everything about life is hard.’
“Independence”
Early in the morning on Monday 24th August, a team of Australian eye surgeons, optometrists and first aid specialists from RACS, St Johns health care, East Timor Eye program, and Fred Hollows foundation got ready to board the two MAF aircraft in Dili.
Surgeon Bill Glasson has been making these eye outreach trips for around 14 years now. Every year he and a team just like this 
reach right into the heart of the remote Timorese community and bring hope and healing to those with debilitating eye diseases.
When Dr Glasson examines Jose’s eyes, he immediately diagnoses it as an obvious white cataract. ‘A simple procedure will fix this’, says Dr Glasson, ‘20 minutes in surgery today will return his vision back to normal by tomorrow. This will dramatically change his life.’
Time saved is lives transformed
Pilot Jonathan Lowe sums up the key role MAF plays in this transformation: ‘Time is very valuable, and we let them make the most of the time they have here.’
The incredible significance of this statement is made clear by eye surgeon Dr Kevin Vandeleur: ‘Catching the ferry to Oecusse (the only other transport option) is a 14-hour “experience”. A 45-minute flight with MAF means we are here with our gear first thing in the morning. It basically gives us 
two days extra work.
That probably equates to 60 extra operations – 60 more lives transformed.’
The smile on Jose’s face after he received his sight back was a reward in and of itself. ‘I can see clearly,’ he exclaimed the day following his operation. ‘I am very happy!’
As we talk with Jose through the translator we realise he has received far more than just his eyesight, he’s received his life back. This changes everything for Jose, everything.