GPHC has waiting list of 100 for surgery to fight diabetic retinopathy

Jan 07, 2020 News

Caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eyes known as the retina, diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that affects the eyes. Although this condition is especially common, Ophthalmologist Arlene Bobb-Semple said its onset presents with little to no signs or symptoms thus making screening especially important.

Ophthalmologist Arlene Bobb-Semple

Moreover, persons with Type One diabetes should have their eyes screened for diabetic retinopathy within three to five years of being diagnosed, and those with Type Two diabetes should be similarly screened within the very year of their diagnosis.
Speaking on Kaieteur Radio’s Monday, January 6, 2020 edition of Your Health Matters, Dr. Bobb-Semple, who works out of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC’]s Ophthalmology Department, made reference to the prevalence of the disease.
“It is very common; over a period of 20 years, studies have shown that 99 percent of patients with Type One diabetes will develop some amount of diabetic retinopathy and 60 percent of patients who have Type Two diabetes over the course of 20 years will develop some form of diabetic retinopathy as well,” the doctor shared.
In addition to being diabetic, risk factors for diabetic retinopathy include poorly controlled blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
In fact, Dr. Bobb-Semple, in referencing a major study – The UK Diabetic Prospective Study – conducted in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, said that it was found that intensive blood pressure control would reduce the progression of diabetic retinopathy and also reduce the risk of other complications of diabetes.
Moreover, the Ophthalmologist underscored the crucial need for persons diagnosed with diabetes to work towards reducing their risk of developing diabetic retinopathy by controlling their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
This is possible through healthy lifestyle choices and the use of medication.
Turning her attention to cholesterol, Dr. Bobb-Semple said that a high cholesterol level could increase the potential of long-term vision loss.
“Studies have shown that in diabetic patients those who have high cholesterol have higher rates of swelling in the back of the eyes. Pregnancy is also associated with worsening of diabetic retinopathy…women who are diabetics before pregnancy and also women who would have developed diabetes with pregnancy, [gestational diabetes],” Dr. Bobb-Semple disclosed.
Although the GPHC already has the capacity to treat diabetic retinopathy, the ophthalmologist said that this will soon be enhanced with the donation of a vitreo-retinal surgery suite. Compliments of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the “generous” donation, Dr. Bobb-Semple said will save hundreds of Guyanese the financial impact by virtue of them being able to access this surgery free of cost at the GPHC.
Patients, the ophthalmologist revealed, have paid as much as $1M to travel overseas just to have access to this surgical procedure in the past.
With the vitreoretinal surgery capacity, Dr. Bobb-Semple said that, “GPHC now has an advantage over the other [hospitals] even the private institutions in that they will be the first to offer this type of advanced ophthalmological surgical care for patients who have retinal pathologies.”
Those eligible for this surgery, she disclosed, could include patients who have the proliferative [advanced] stage of diabetic retinopathy, those with retinal detachment and other retinal conditions such as macular holes and bleeding in the eye either from diabetic retinopathy or other causes.
Already the hospital has a waiting list of almost 100 patients who will be among the first batch to access this surgery at the GPHC.
“Soon and very soon, they will be able to have it [vitreoretinal surgery] done for free at the Georgetown Public Hospital so we are extremely grateful to the Latter Day Saints for being so generous,” said Dr. Bobb-Semple.
Having been exposed to specialised training in Tanzania, Dr. Bobb-Semple is one of the ophthalmologists at the public hospital who will be performing this surgery.
“Tanzania has a population of about 50M people…I was able to have quite a lot of exposure and experience working with senior doctors in that country [Tanzania], who have been trained even out of Tanzania, in order to offer this type of surgery to patients in Guyana,” said Dr. Bobb-Semple.

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