Tears of joy as UAE woman regains vision

An 80-year-old Emirati woman, after eight years of barely having sight, is finally able to see her children.

Bakheeta Al Mansouri was suffering from poor vision where she could only differentiate between light and dark, and see some shadows.

She also had dense cataracts in both eyes and one eye had long-standing retinal detachment, which was detected with ultrasound of her eyes, explained doctors, who have remarkably restored her vision.

In addition, Al Mansouri had inward turn of the eye lid, in-growing eye lashes and abnormal blood vessels over her corneas.

Dr Syed Mohammed Asad Ali, consultant ophthalmologist, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times that the first day after the surgery was almost like a whole new life for the patient.

"She was very emotional, crying with joy, because the family has been to various hospitals before and with no hope. Her operation was delayed because of her serious health conditions."

He said that her son was also very emotional, because his mother was completely dependent on him, she was unable to walk and having a fear of falling over due to her poor vision but now her life has changed.

"After she gained her sight, she became more social and independent - she goes out, and is even planning her holiday. She started crying with joy for seeing her son and family after many years."

He said that doctors immediately noticed a great improvement in her vision as she instantly began reading half of the eye test chart.

"Restoring our patient's vision and improving their quality of life is truly rewarding for us all," he added.

Bakheeta's son, Saif Al Mansouri said: "We are grateful for Dr Syed and the team, who have changed my mother's life. She can walk now, independently finding her way, and planning to go on holidays."

How doctors restored her vision

The 80-year-old was put under a treatment plan to restore her vision by multiple specialised physicians and surgeons.

Dr Ali had to perform several surgical procedures for the patient.

"At first, we removed her ingrowing eyelashes with a technique called electro epilation, which reduces the chances of re-growth of ingrowing eye lashes."

He said the procedure improved Al Mansouri's cornea status and reduced the risk of infection.

At the second stage, a cataract surgery with phacoemulsification (ultrasound) with lens implantation under eye-drops anaesthesia was performed.

"This procedure was very challenging due to the status of the cataract and the general health of the patient. The type of cataract could have been treated by older techniques, but due to her medical conditions, it was not the best option.

"For the last two years, she was not walking alone, as she couldn't see her way. She was chair-bound and needed help in her everyday activities."

Source: Khaleej Times