Latest update March 24th, 2025 7:05 AM
Balwant Singh Hospital conducts corneal transplants
Almost four years after Guyana conducted its first set of surgical corneal transplants, six more patients successfully underwent the delicate eye procedures. But it would be the first time for Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital. And the institution is now eyeing the establishing of a bank which will see eyes being donated by persons for use in later procedures.
Nand Kumar, 72, was stung by a bee in his left eye
In November 2010, history was made in Guyana when corneal transplantation also known as corneal grafting was introduced for the first time in Guyana, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Ophthalmologist, Dr. Neeraj Jain, who was the operating surgeon, explained that the procedures were done between July 26 and July 27. The patients included a 72-year-old Canal Number One farmer and a 22-year-old woman. Of the six patients, five were men with the youngest being 20.
According to the farmer, Nand Kumar, he was in his farm at Canal Number One in February when a bee flew into his left eye. He was badly stung. He trudged the mile to his home and went to seek medical attention at Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital. The prognosis was grim. The cornea was badly damaged.
The hospital began treating the eye but the vision remained blurred.
The former senior prison officer said that he even went to get second opinions at the Georgetown Hospital and in Berbice.
“Dr Jain said everything will be okay and to wait. I had full confidence in him. He told me that a team of doctors was coming and among them would be a corneal specialist. They had to sedate me as my blood pressure was going up and down.”
Kumar, who said he was being encouraged by his family and neighbors, said he was assured that the eye surgery would have restored his sight in the left eye.
“I was even told that I had to go to Trinidad to do the surgery that it can’t be done here.”
In the case of Kumar, a triple procedure, including one for cataract, had to be done. “We are satisfied at their recovery,” Dr Jain said yesterday.
The doctor said that his hospital is now looking to establish an eye bank. This facility operates in similar principles to the blood bank, except that the eyes are donated by families of persons who would have passed away. He said that the patients were all waiting to go abroad for the operations.
Ophthalmologist of Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital, Dr Neeraj Jain
However, preparations for the procedures to be done in Guyana had been underway for six months.
“For these recent procedures, we had to go to the US and source the corneas from three separate facilities.” Cornea specialist, Dr. Steven Waller, was the US doctor that arranged for the corneas to be shipped to Guyana.
The transplants have the hospital upbeat. It is looking down the line at similar procedures in the future.
“Right now, we are not working on costs. We are looking at ensuring that these procedures are brought here and are affordable,” the Ophthalmologist said.
Already, the hospital has a list of patients seeking similar procedures.
Well known Guyanese philanthropist, George Soobraj, was instrumental in providing the logistics for the team.
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