Colombo: A blind man from Lahore, Pakistan who was facing numerous obstacles to obtain an Indian Medical Visa was operated by an ophthalmologist at an eye hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The highlight of the eye surgery was not only the patient achieving partial eye-sight but the level of co-operation of the medical fraternity in the three countries.
The Pakistani patient faced numerous obstacles in obtaining an Indian medical visa, despite months of efforts from him and Dr. Quresh Maskati in Mumbai. However, when the doctor got to know that he would be attending a conference in Colombo, he contacted the Sri Lankan Medical Council and received approval to operate there. With the support of local surgeon Dr. Kusum Rathnayake, the surgery was successfully completed on September 13. When the patient returned home on September 24, he was overjoyed to see his family, including his seven-year-old daughter, for the first time in four years. He had lost his sight after a serious accident at home when a bottle of alkaline solution broke and splashed on his face. The patient’s right eye was damaged completely, and attempts to transplant the cornea on his left eye didn’t work for him Dr. Maskati interacted with the patient when he attended a conference in Pakistan and believed that an artificial cornea could be the solution. Within 48 hours after surgery, the patient was able to see partially.