Al-Shifa begins using laser tech for corneal transplants

RAWALPINDI:

The Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital has started using the Bowman layer transplantation (BLT) for treating patients suffering from keratoconus, an eye disease that damages the cornea and causes loss of vision, it said on Tuesday. The decision came after a two-year review of post-operative results.

The hospital said it was using cutting-edge Swiss femtosecond laser technology, which is expected to benefit many people in Pakistan who have keratoconus and are awaiting corneal transplantation.

According to the hospital’s president, Major Gen (retd) Rehmat Khan, Al-Shifa was among the first hospitals in Asia to employ the technology. He further said BLT strengthens the weak cornea, avoiding or delaying the need for a full corneal transplantation.

He said the most recent technology was used experimentally for the first time in 2020 and was now being used in patient care as a result of successful testing. He said they not only planned to deliver cutting-edge care but also train medical experts from other hospitals.

With the treatment, developed by British ophthalmologist Sir William Bowman, layers of one donor’s cornea can be used to treat two to three patients with different corneal problems.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2023.