Girl with plucked-out eye undergoes operation

MANILA, Philippines - The three-year-old girl whose left eye has been plucked out by a mentally challenged man in Taguig underwent an operation Thursday in preparation for the transfer of an artificial eye. In his report on GMA’s 24 Oras, Carlo Lorenzo said the operation was conducted at the Rizal Medical Center in Shaw Blvd., Pasig City. Doctor Dennis Pagulayan, chief resident of RMC’s department of ophthalmology, assured that the victim will be able to see again but doubt if her eyesight would return to its normal clarity. “She had a conjunctival laceration which means that the superficial skin of her left eye is wounded, and the degree of the laceration is actually 360 degrees, so it’s a round wound,” Pagulayan said. The television report said the Taguig City police had already slapped the suspect, Ronnie Somera, 23, with frustrated murder charges. Initial investigation showed that Somera abducted the victim while she was buying fish balls outside her house. The suspect brought the child to his house and plucked her left eye, saying he thought he was doing it to a frog. The police said they are studying ways on how to transfer Somera to a mental institution. - GMANews.TV