With every achievement, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital continues to remap the ophthalmological landscape of Pakistan with novel treatments and complicated, sight-saving surgeries.
Seven-month-old twins, Muhammad Ibrahim & Muhammad Ismail were diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) at about 1.5 months of age, an eye condition that can occur in premature infants, typically those born before 31 weeks of gestation or weighing less than 3.3 pounds. It happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina, which can lead to serious vision problems.
Seeking treatment, the parents visited various hospitals across the country. Ultimately, they discovered Pakistan’s only ROP Diagnosis & Treatment Centre at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, where the doctors took the case hands-on. After the initial screening and diagnosis, the doctors started the treatment immediately after the assessment of the stages. Timely intervention and treatment controlled the disease before it could cause permanent damage. The children’s mother said timely treatment prevented possible blindness and provided encouragement during a difficult period.
After receiving injection and laser therapy, both children displayed remarkable improvement from the initially diagnosed stages 3 and 3+. The disease completely regressed for Muhammad Ismail while there was a relapse in Muhammad Ibrahim’s condition for which another injection was administered. After receiving the injection, his condition has also shown improvement whereby he continues to see the world with clarity.
Ibrahim and Ismail are now children with healthy vision who look at life with dreams in their eyes. The eye specialist who dealt with their case, Dr. Muhammad Amjad said that mandatory eye screening should be introduced for premature babies, as up to 45 per cent of them are at risk of developing ROP. He urged the government to declare neonatal eye screening compulsory.
According to Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, nearly one million babies are born prematurely in Pakistan each year, and up to 45 per cent are at risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity. Since the launch of a dedicated ROP programme at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in 2013, approximately 19,000 children have been treated. The trust’s Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Department said that improved survival rates among newborns have increased the number of children vulnerable to ROP.
Al-Shifa Trust continues to transform countless lives at it has made arrangements with various hospitals for screening, referral and surgical facilities. Through tele-ophthalmology services, free diagnosis and guidance are being provided to patients in remote areas across Pakistan and beyond borders.
