Tumors of the orbit can endanger vision in several ways, but most likely they can compress the optic nerve or muscles that are responsible for moving the eyeball. Dr. Battsetseg, a pediatric oculoplastics surgeon from Mongolia, consulted Dr. Ron Pelton (Orbis Volunteer) via Cybersight, our online telemedicine platform, to confirm her surgical approach and to seek additional guidance prior to the surgical removal of Sarnai's tumor.
Sarnai
Sarnai (meaning “Rose” in Mongolian) is a 4-year-old girl from a nomadic family living in the countryside. She was diagnosed with a hemangioma (benign tumor) that was removed from her inner eyelid in April of 2022.
Cybersight
Dr. Pelton, Oculo-Facial plastic surgeon based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has remained a mentor and advisor to Dr. Battsetseg since their hands-on training experience together in 2018 during the Flying Eye Hospital project in Ulaanbaatar. Sarnai’s surgery was successful by all accounts and two months after her surgery her wound has healed.
In June 2022, Sarnai arrived with her paternal grandmother to MCH for a follow-up exam with Dr. Battsetseg, and she was very happy.