Dubai: After nearly 15 years of near blindness, a 47-year-old UAE resident was able to clearly see her face in the mirror following a complicated and high-risk eye surgery carried out at RAK Hospital’s Eye Care Centre.
King Khaton Loqman Saleh Shaban had been facing trouble with her eyesight for more than a decade, complaining of blurred vision, redness in the eyes and intermittent pain. Her vision was so poor that she could barely see anything around and was severely shortsighted. She was prescribed eye drops to relieve her pain and discomfort, but the condition had affected her quality of life considerably. Unfortunately, due to financial constraints she could not access medical assistance earlier.
Eventually, a charity organisation arranged for Shaban’s surgery. Dr Archana Sood, Senior Specialist and Head of Department, Ophthalmology at RAK Hospital said: “Tests at our centre revealed complicated cataract in both her eyes, as a result of an old intraocular inflammation. These cataracts are problematic in nature, potentially posing several challenges during and after surgery. In the right eye, the patient barely had perception of light with the eye deviated towards outside, while in the left eye, her vision was very blurred. This left her constantly dependent on others to work her way through everyday chores.”
The patient underwent two intensive surgeries within a span of one month, first on the right eye and then the left. Both the surgeries were done in day-care admission and took an hour each. After spending six hours in the hospital — including pre- and post- surgery time — the patient was able to go home the same day on both the occasions. With a satisfactory sight, she was back to normal life in just one week after the operation.
Explaining the challenges faced during the surgeries, Dr Sood added: “This case was not only complicated but high-risk as well, and given the severity of the issues we could not even predict the outcome of the surgery. To begin with, high myopic eyes are very difficult to operate on. When we inspected the patient closely, we also found that the pupils were very small and were stuck to the cataractous lens. During the surgery, we first opened up her eye, dilating the pupil, gently breaking down the cataract, suctioning it out and inserting a foldable intraocular lens implant. These foldable implants ensure faster recovery since they require a minute incision, as less as one-eighth of an inch, and are self-healing without any stitches”.
Commenting on the successful surgery, Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director, RAK Hospital said: “Our eyesight is a gift of nature that we often take for granted. However, for Shaban, this was a gift returned to her after prolonged pain and frustration, not to mention discomfort. I’m very proud of our team at the RAK Eye Care Centre which performed such a difficult surgery."
