The previous post on stem cells reminded me of my trip to India, back in October 2011 last year, where I went to see an Indian eye hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I was lucky enough to be invited into a cataracts operation...
The surgery involved the removal of the crystalline lens of the eye (which in a cataracts patient has become opaque) and the replacement with a synthetic or donated lens. The patient is placed under a local anaesthetic to reduce pain and irritation to the patient as a result of the pressure sensation; the eye is held open with a speculum; the surface of the eyes is kept moist using sterile saline eyedrops. The surgeon then breaks down the lens using an ultrasound wave which causes the opaque lens to disintegrate; the lens is then sucked out from the eye, and the lens has been removed. Finally, the surgeon inserts the new lens into the eye, and the operation is complete! Being in the operating theatre was exhilarating; I felt so privileged to be allowed into the environment and trusted by the doctors to observe. After the operation, the patient was allowed to get up and the cloths from her face were removed... she then proceeded to thank everyone in the room for returning her sight to her. The experience made me realise the true relationship between a doctor and a patient – one possesses the potential to change a person’s life and improve their standard of living significantly.
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