Gift
of Sight: Local doctor offers
to help Jamaican boy
By
Tiffany Brown
Boca Raton News Staff Writer
 On
Monday, a 9-year-old boy's life will change, thanks to the generosity
of a Delray Beach doctor and the kind heart of a Delray Beach
resident.
Demar
Brown of Jamaica will undergo a procedure at the Boca Raton
Outpatient Surgical and Laser Center that will help restore
vision in his left eye.
Demar
suffers from Keratoconus, a genetic vision disorder that occurs
when the cornea - the front part of the eye - becomes thin and
cone-shaped. It causes an increased sensitivity to light, burning
and vision distortion.
Demar's
vision has gotten progressively worse in the last year. At this
point, he is only able to see light and dark and movement. As
a result of his condition, Brown had to drop out of school because
he could no longer read the textbooks.
While
on vacation in Jamaica, Lloyd Millanise of Delray Beach read
a newspaper article in the Jamaican Star about the boy's condition.
In the article, Browns mother, Judith English said, "It
was last May that I found out about the eye. He stopped doing
his school work, (he was) always squinting his eye, and (he)
scratched (rubbed) the eye." Millanise was so disturbed
by the story that when he returned to the U.S., he sought help
from the doctor who had helped him with his own vision.
After
hearing about the story from Millanise, Dr. Eric Rothchild of
the Rothchild Eye Institute in Delray Beach offered his services
to the boy free of charge.
"He's
going to have a cornea transplant in his left eye, and we're
going to monitor it. Then, after the left eye is healed, we
will discuss taking care of his right eye," Rothchild said.
Rothchild
hopes that after the procedure, which costs roughly $15,000,
Brown will eventually recover most of vision and be able to
return to school.
Brown's
situation has inspired Rothchild to create a foundation to help
children with eye diseases get the care they need. Donations
can be made to the Rothchild Eye Foundation for Children by
contacting Peggy Martin at the Rothchild Eye Institute, 381-2820.
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