Six get free vitrectomy surgery in PoS

Twenty-five patients got the gift of sight for Christmas, among them six diabetics.

These operations were done free of charge at the Trinidad Eye Hospital (TEH) in Woodbrook, on Monday.

Dr Ronnie Bhola, retina specialist, chief surgeon and CEO of TEH, was extremely happy that after just three hours he and his team of doctors were able to do 12 operations on the Gift of Sight Charity Day.

Those doctors included Dr Dorian Dwarika and trainees Drs Zahrid Mohammed, Vikash Badasee and Akil Hinds.

Bhola said for the first time ever, he and the team did retinal surgery apart from the normal cataract surgery.

He said: “These are the more expensive surgeries, the ones that people really can’t afford, and the ones that there is a big need for.”

He explained retinal surgery is done on patients who are diabetic and suddenly lose their vision because they bleed in the eye or their retinas have become detached.

Bhola said those make up the majority of surgeries needed.

“We are really excited to introduce this type of surgery. We have been planning this with the marketing team and everybody for the last year to try and get funding to do these surgeries. So we must say thank you to all our sponsors. Without them we wouldn’t be here and do all that we are doing.”

Some 25 sponsors contributed to the six vitrectomy surgeries done on Monday. Cataract surgery normally costs approximately $12,000.

Franka Mohammed, organisation transformation leader at the TEH, said the organisation is on a mission to do as many operations as possible, but also to raise awareness about protecting one’s eyes and taking care of their health and managing diabetes, to ensure they don’t need surgery.

Since TEH operations started in December 2016, to date approximately 175 patients have benefited from the programme. Mohammed said the TEH is going to increase fundraising efforts so more patients can benefit, because the need is great.

Patients are selected for surgery after screening at TEH clinics in San Fernando, Freeport, St Augustine and Maraval.

Personally, Bhola said: “We grew up knowing that we wanted to improve things for people who have a need. Because we also struggled. If I needed to go to the hospital at 13, 14, 15, I will have to go to the hospital, because we didn’t have any way of going privately, and we knew how difficult that was. So for us to be able to help people makes a big difference to us.”

He said his ultimate goal is to make TT a cataract-free zone and to use screening methods to be able to stop people from needing so much retinal surgery.

He said: “We want to achieve those two projects within the next five years, so nobody in this country should be blind from retinal or cataract problems.”

Bhola would love to do these free eye operations four times a year, “but I think it is going to take us until 2025 to get the funding that we need to be able to consistently manage it. But today is our best day of the year. We always look forward to this day, of the 365 days a year.”

Having known Bhola for a number of years, Hinds said the experience with him has been very positive as a budding resident.

He took the opportunity to expose himself to a wide variety of surgical patients’ cataracts and vitrectomies, so he will learn to handle them on his own as a surgeon. He said he really wants to put a dent into the number of cataracts and the number of potential glaucoma and vitrectomy cases in the future.

Asked about his experience in the operating theatre, Hinds said: “It was very smooth, very efficient, and more than I have ever seen even internationally, so hats off to Dr Bhola and the team.”

Badasee said since medical school he had had an interest in ophthalmology, so he jumped at the opportunity to work with Bhola, two months ago.

Of Monday’s experience, Badasee said it was very good and very smooth. “It is interesting to help the patients who can’t really afford cataract surgeries or will have to wait years to get cataract surgery in the hospital, so it was a nice feeling and experience.”