THE mother of a Grade Five girl who went blind after allegedly seeing a “little man dressed in black” three weeks ago says doctors have only prescribed spectacles for her daughter saying there are no abnormalities they can detect although she remains blind.
MTHANDAZO NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT
The Mtshingwe Primary pupil allegedly went blind in class after the “visit” of the “little man” who told her to go to a certain address in Cowdray Park.
Her mother told Southern Eye on Friday United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) doctors advised her to buy her daughter eye glasses as they could not pick up any anomaly.
“Last week I took her to hospital for medical check-up and the doctors said they can not diagnose anything. They advised me to go and buy her eye glasses. However, other people advised me to have her eyes operated whereas others said an operation could leave her blind for the rest of her life,” she said.
“I ended up seeking assistance from some prophets and witch-doctors because it was clear that the problem was supernatural, but I have not received any joy.
“I am still sourcing money to buy eye glasses so that she can go back school when she is better. I will not transfer her because she refused,” the mother said.
An eye doctor told Southern Eye that doctors pronounce a patient normal if they do not see any causal factor that can be attributed to blindness.
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“There are many causes of blindness. The problem might be in the cornea, anterior chamber, vitreous body, optic nerve, retinal vessels or lens (eye functions that enable a person to see properly),” he said.
“If the doctor does not find anything abnormal that can be attributed to any causes of blindness from his or her examination, then it means that particular person is not blind. We base our results on what we have examined,” he added.
Meanwhile, a traditional and cultural expert, Pathisa Nyathi said there are different beliefs surrounding the issue of goblins in the African society that are totally different from those of white people. Nyathi said differences only lie with cultural beliefs and environmental set-ups.
“It is very sad to hear what has happened, but the issue has a cultural context and people will interpret it according to their own beliefs. Africans and white people can interpret the same issue differently. There is nothing universal on that matter.
“In an African perspective, it is a goblin and the solution to rectify that problem would be consulting traditional healers or apostolic prophets. But with whites, the solution would be different. They can take the victim to an eye specialist. Your actions are accordance to your beliefs. However, there is nothing wrong about interpreting those issues differently,” Nyathi said.
