The before-and-after photos of a nearly blind infant who received eye surgery are captivating social media.
The images of 1-year-old Wai Linn from Myanmar (Burma) appeared on Imgur Thursday, amassing nearly 1 million views by Friday afternoon.
The post indicated that nine strangers donated the $2,000 necessary for a procedure to correct his eye issues. "Now he is a happy, normal child whose life has forever changed after this procedure," the post read.
Officials from Watsi, the healthcare crowdfunding platform that gathered the money, confirmed details with The Huffington Post.
Before the largesse, Wai Linn faced a far more uncertain future. According to his profile on Watsi, he was born with "white cloudy eyes" and had congenital corneal scarring that was "stunting his development." The family had repeatedly borrowed money for treatment but could not afford the $2,000 surgery.
The plea worked. Watsi was able to collect the entire sum. "Wai Linn's surgery went well and he is adapting to his improved vision with gusto," the site says of his progress. "His mother reports that when Wai Linn first returned from the hospital she would constantly catch him staring at his hands and playing with them. He is now able to see his toys and grab them when they fall, and is always wandering around and exploring."
The little guy was so happy to see his grandmother clearly for the first time that his "eyes lit up and he kept touching her face," according to the follow-up post.
As for that "after" photo, one Redditor wrote, "That smile made me smile."
We couldn't agree more.
Here are a few more photos of Wai Linn, including the full "after" one with his grandmother, provided by Watsi.
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