Pinetown surgeon gives gift of sight
The cataract surgeries are done as part of the World Sight Day initiative to treat avoidable blindness in South Africa.
LIFE Crompton Hospital’s specialist opthalmic surgeon, Dr Dharmesh Parbhoo. Performed pro bono eye surgeries for five patients who were on the waiting list of the Regional Eye Hospital at McCords.
The cataract surgeries are done as part of the World Sight Day initiative to treat avoidable blindness in South Africa.
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The initiative is driven of the Ophthalmic Society of South Africa’s Right to Sight Trust goal to assist with achieving this goal.
“All the patients are part of the state medical system and were on the waiting list of our Regional Eye Hospital at McCords. Many have to wait for years before they can have this sight restoring procedure. There are major backlogs in the state system,” said Dr Parbhoo.
According to Dr Parbhoo, cataracts develop gradually and often the symptoms are subtle, however early detection occurs with regular visits to an optometrist.
It is especially important to be aware of changes in the prescription after 50 years of age, as these changes could be due to the cataract developing.
Poor vision is often the sign of a cataract in an elderly patient. Other symptoms include glare when a person is driving, the need to read in brighter lighting conditions and poor vision in dim light.
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“There have been major advances in the management of cataracts and the risks are very low. Sight is restored almost immediately. Surgery is done under local anaesthesia so the stay in hospital is minimal and recovery takes a few days. Patients experience no pain and there is minimal discomfort and disturbance in the daily lives. It takes about 20 minutes to have an eye operated on.
“My advice to people is, the goal is to restore your vision sooner than later and the technology now exists to remove cataract earlier and safely and the previous notion to wait for a mature cataract is no valid any more,” he added.
Dr Parbhoo reiterated that cataracts do not cause permanent blindness, but become more difficult to manage when mature.
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