Being able to restore people’s vision is the reason Alberlito’s new opthalmologist, Dr Yavische Reddy loves what she does and she does it well.
“Knowing that I can help my patients live a normal life again – work, drive and do simple things like being able to enter their pin at an ATM, inspires me. Getting to the point where patients are no longer patients and can start being people again is my goal,” said Dr Reddy, who was the lucky South African to be awarded the American Research Vision in Ophthalmology(ARVO)-2015 Developing Country Eye Researcher Travel Fellowship.
Educating people and training upcoming opthalmologists are two vital points for Dr Reddy. She has been involved in registrar and undergraduate training and runs the skills training for fourth year medical students.
“It is important for people to understand how we see. Think of the lens of the eye as a camera. When we look at an object, light from the object passes through the clear cornea and the lens, until it hits the retina at the back of the eye. Like a camera, the lens helps to focus the light coming through the eye onto the retina. The retina receives the light and helps process it into what we see.”
Dr Reddy said cataracts are one of the most common treatable sight problems:
“Cataracts cause the normal lens of the eye to become cloudy, like frosted glass. The lens can no longer sharply focus the light onto the retina, scattering it. This causes symptoms such as double vision, glare, halos and decreased night vision.”
She said while cataracts are usually seen in older people, as the proteins in the lens clump together with age, it can also be caused by a number of other factors.
“Some babies are born with cataracts, diabetic patients are at increased risk, and people taking steroids such as prednisone or eye drops containing steroids can develop cataracts.”
If you think you might have a cataract, visit your ophthalmologist to check it out.
“You may require a cataract operation which entails removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial clear lens to restore your vision.”
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