Doctors set to give gift of sight in Bangladesh

Two doctors from Kingston Hospital will perform cataract surgery on up to 150 people in one week at the Glaucoma Research and Eye Hospital in Bangladesh from Saturday (February 25).

Two doctors from Kingston Hospital are set to give people in Bangladesh the gift of sight.

Royal Eye Unit consultant lead clinician Hooman Sherafat and ophthalmologist Ziaul Haque will perform cataract surgery in the country.

From Saturday (February 25), they will treat up to 150 people in one week at its Glaucoma Research and Eye Hospital.

Mr Sherafat said that the majority of cataracts they will operate on will be so far advanced that the patients will be blind because of them.

“Cataracts are the number one cause of reversible blindness in the world,” he added.

“The Bangladeshi people will come with such high hopes and fortunately in most cases we will be able to give them back useful vision.

“This is a life changing experience for people.”

In the past two years, Mr Sherefat has travelled to both Ghana and Burma to carry out cataract surgery.

“I must completely change my mindset when travelling to these countries to operate as the people have nothing and are so grateful for what we are able to do for them,” he said.

Dr Haque is a native of Bangladesh and a director of Global Aid Trust, the charity that is co-ordinating and funding the trip.

He has been back to the country twice before to arrange cataract operations with Bangladeshi consultants as part of his work for Global Aid Trust.

“More than 80% of the patients we will operate on live in very rural areas with no access to medical facilities,” he said.

“Global Aid Trust funds the instrumentation, consumables and facilities used for the operations as well as patient transport, medications and post operative care and shelter.

“The more money we can raise, the greater the number of operations we can perform.”

Kingston Hospital volunteer chaplain retired Major Rashid Laher is medical support to the team.

He has raised around £7,000 for the eye cataract project and, along with Dr Haque, also hopes to raise £200,000 to purchase a mobile medical unit.

This could be used to perform operations across rural areas of Bangladesh throughout the year.

Anyone who would like to donate money to the eye cataract project can visitwww.justgiving.com/GlobalAidEyeCatract.