Three people set to see for first time after cornea transplants

Three more cornea transplant surgeries were performed on as many blind people at the KMC’s Spencer Eye Hospital on Wednesday.

So far 17 people have got eyes at the hospital since the time cornea transplants were restored after a gap of 15 years under the patronage of the Karachi mayor. Earlier, the mayor received the donation of three corneas from Lions Club International’s former chairman Abu Bakar Kareem, and extended gratitude for his generous contribution to help restore the eyesight of poor patients. The corneas had come from Sri Lanka.

The delegation comprised former Lions Club chairman Arshad Islam and members Muhammad Imran and Abdul Qadir, who met the mayor in his office, while Deputy Mayor Syed Arshad Hasan, chairperson medical and health committee Naheed Fatima, senior director medical and health department Dr Salma Kausar and Spencer Eye Hospital medical superintendent Dr Beerbal Genani were also present on this occasion.

The mayor said medical facilities provided by the KMC were being improved with the support of private sector organisations and individuals. The KMC could serve the citizens in an even better way with the support of such people and organizations, he said, asking the well-off people of the city to help the KMC hospitals maintain their buildings and machinery. This would be a big service to the city, he added.

He said the patient’s selection for a cornea transplant had been purely on merit and without any discrimination of caste, creed or religion. The laser surgery for cataract with the yaag laser and ultrasound machine is now available at the Spencer Hospital to ensure better performance.

The club has so far gifted 14 corneas (imported from Sri Lanka) this year. All corneas have been transplanted among blind people hailing from different parts of the country. Mayor Wasim Akhtar had inaugurated the Corneal Transplantation and Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery department at the hospital on February 15, 2019, to resume the surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced with the donated corneal tissue.

In private hospitals, a transplant will cost around Rs150,000; however, the same transplant facility has been made available at the Spencer Hospital free of cost.