Partnership between hospitals results in more than 100 patients benefiting from cataract surgery
Over 100 people have benefited from cataract surgery at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, thanks to a clinic held in partnership with the Trinidad Eye Hospital.
Dr. Albert Duncan, Medical Director at the hospital, says in five days – from October 24 to 28 – 107 surgeries were performed on young and old patients from both Antigua and Barbuda.
Cataracts are one of the most common age-related eye conditions and one of the leading causes of vision loss. “And most cases, if not all, can be corrected with a 15-minute operation,” Dr. Duncan says.
Accordingly, he says that no one in the prime of life should be unable to take care of himself and his family because of blindness from cataracts.
The hospital’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Osama Dias, says this latest clinic involved one surgeon, Dr. Ronnie Bhola from Trinidad Eye Hospital, along with his team.
Another clinic will be hosted, he says, adding that there are still many patients waiting to receive this life-changing surgery.
He says everything will be done to ensure that this happens.
“People stop being productive when they get cataracts – and productive people are less productive because they have to take care of their blind family members,” Dr. Dias says.
The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 18 million people worldwide are bilaterally blind from cataracts, making the condition responsible for almost half of all cases of blindness.
