August 21, 2026
His new vision in life
By Thania Florendo
“I woke up one morning and I could no longer read the news headline on the television.”
Then 14-year-old Gio Pamintuan loved playing the guitar, staying fit, playing basketball, spending time with friends at the beach, and going hiking. As the youngest of three siblings, he was enjoying the ordinary experiences of adolescence.
Yet, that morning six years ago when he woke up, his vision was blurry. His confused parents rushed him to the hospital for answers that took a series of examinations and referrals to eye specialists. The family learned that he has Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare genetic condition that causes sudden, painless loss of central vision and often begins during adolescence.
There was no easy way to accept the diagnosis. It took him and his family long enough to grieve the future they had imagined for him and to let go as they moved forward.
“It really broke my heart because I was really into sports. The chances of being picked for the varsity basketball team during my high school years were high. Everyone felt sorry for the lost chance,” he said.
As his condition progressed, his left eye eventually lost its vision, with only light perception remaining, while the central vision in his right eye became blocked. He learned to rely heavily on his peripheral vision. His family and friends became his strength and stayed to navigate the changes.
“My mom told me that I need to work double the effort just to attain the level of being average. As an achiever, I don’t want to be average, so I exert a mile of effort in everything I do, especially in my academics,” he shared.
Today, Pamintuan is taking up his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management at Ateneo de Zamboanga University. He has adapted to studying with the help of an iPad instead of relying on pen and paper.
There are days when Pamintuan would linger on his circumstances. He really struggled with how he saw himself after losing his vision and admitted that he began to see himself as being below everyone else.
He had never been involved in outreach activities and knew little about Tzu Chi, even though his older brother, a Tzu Chi Youth member in Zamboanga City, would often share stories about the organization. That changed when Pamintuan tried to join the 2nd Tzu Chi Youth Volunteers Camp in Zamboanga from July 10 to 12.
He met volunteers who would eventually influence how he viewed his own life. Among them was Dr. Anton Mari Lim, Tzu Chi Zamboanga’s OIC and deputy CEO, who learned about Pamintuan’s condition and took time to speak with him.
“Fourteen years old is an age where you will experience most of the things in life, because you are in adolescence,” Dr. Lim said. That made Pamintuan cry his heart out, thinking how much he believed he had missed by losing his 20/20 vision during those years that he should be enjoying life. But through his conversations with Tzu Chi volunteers, he also began to realize that his story did not have to end with what he had lost.
“I was never involved in any outreach activities but because of the Tzu Chi volunteers I’ve met, they led the way in helping me find the long-lost purpose that I have been looking for,” Pamintuan said.
That purpose brought him to Dipolog as a volunteer during Tzu Chi’s 292nd Medical Mission from August 6 to 8. He assisted patients in their eye checkups and screenings at the ophthalmology area. His role carried a deeper meaning.
“I find the patients I am assisting are the same. We are all struggling visually due to various conditions like glaucoma and cataracts. It is a part of me to help people like them, and the thought that I might encounter someone who has the same condition as me is interesting,” he said.
During his experience in the medical mission, he was able to understand the fear that comes with vision changes. He offered encouragement to the patients: Get their eyes checked, continue seeking help, and do not be afraid to ask for assistance.
Advances in technology and the growing availability of information can help people better understand their conditions and find ways to cope with them. Technology has become part of Pamintuan’s own journey towards independence. He described his Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and iPad as his guardian angels, serving as his eyes when he needs assistance.
Pamintuan is still undergoing training to become a Tzu Chi Youth member, but in his heart, he already considers himself one. Now that he has found Tzu Chi, he hopes to participate in more activities that allow him to serve others.
He may not be able to change what happened to his eyesight, but he accepted his life now and learned that limitations do not have to define the life he chooses to live.
“We don’t just move based on our limitations; through Tzu Chi volunteers, they made me realize that we can break our limits. Condition is just an obstacle; it doesn't hinder us from being stuck in that place; we can break through it.”
At 20, Gio Pamintuan is still discovering what lies ahead. But this time, he is no longer measuring his future by what he can see. He is learning to see it through the purpose he has found in serving others.
Though this is his first time volunteering, Gio Pamintuan shares that helping patients brings joy to his heart.
Gio Pamintuan prepares and arranges medical supplies on each table for the doctors at the medical mission venue.
Gio Pamintuan assists with Visual Acuity Tests for patients undergoing eye consultations at Ateneo de Zamboanga University through the Angel of Sight Program.
Despite his visual impairment, Gio Pamintuan perseveres in his studies, using technology and determination to pursue his education.
Gio Pamintuan counts and organizes the medical forms completed by patients after their eye checkups.
Gio Pamintuan shares how the latest technology, including the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses he wears, allows him to interact conveniently with Meta AI to ask questions and translate text.
Gio Pamintuan (second from left) poses with fellow Tzu Chi Zamboanga volunteers who led the ophthalmology team during Tzu Chi’s 292nd Medical Mission in Dipolog.
His first encounter with Tzu Chi at the 2nd Tzu Chi Youth Volunteers Camp in Zamboanga, held from July 10 to 12, gave Gio Pamintuan a clearer sense of purpose in life.