Al-Shifa hospital adopts new technology to treat eye ailments

Official says device will help ophthalmologists deliver better vision care

RAWALPINDI:

Al-Shifa Eye Trust has introduced a revolutionary Swiss technology for eye treatment that will benefit many patients in the country.

Chief of Medical Services Dr Wajid Ali Khan said, “Al-Shifa is the first facility in Asia to use the Femtosecond Laser, developed by a Swiss company, to carry out Bowman layer transplant for the treatment of keratoconus, an eye disease that affects cornea.”

“The latest technology will not only empower our ophthalmologists to deliver better vision care to their patients, but we will also train doctors working in other facilities.” Wajid Ali Khan informed that about 200,000 people need this procedure, but the trust can currently conduct 800 surgeries annually because of limited supply. He said, “Due to this latest technology, layers of one cornea can be used to treat two to three patients.”

Senior engineer of Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG Fritz Meyer while visiting Pakistan said that this treatment takes a very thin layer of the donor’s cornea and is places it in a pocket in the patient’s diseased cornea. He said, “This procedure strengthens the weak cornea, hence avoiding the need for a full cornea transplant. Up until now. twenty patients have been treated with this technique successfully at Al-Shifa Eye hospital, which is encouraging.”

Al-Shifa trust has been fighting against blindness since it was established in 1991 and has a rich history of introducing many advanced treatment options during the last three decades. In 1992, Cornea and Refractive Surgery department was established at Al-Shifa

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2022.