SARGODHA - The Sargodha Medical College (SMC) has successfully transplanted cornea to restore eyesight of people blinded by diseases or trauma.

For the first time, eye keratoplasty was performed on five patients, free of cost, at District and Teaching Headquarter Hospital, Sargodha. In this surgical technique, the chances of graft rejection are minimal and cornea works for lifetime. Lead surgeon of the transplantation, Dr Hashim Imran informed that five cornea transplantations were carried successfully on young as well elderly persons, who would regain their eyesight.

He added that five corneas were sent by Association of Physicians of Pakistani of North America (Appna) and Pakistan Association of Maphses to be transplanted to the needy people.

“As there is no culture of organs donations in Pakistan, the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (Appna) has been donating corneas, which enable the patients to regain their eyesight,” he revealed.

Dr Imran said that the five patients including Ghulam Zain, Zafar Iqbal, Rafaqat Ali, Muhammad Shahab and Sobia Bibi, had lost their eyesight due to trauma and degenerative diseases. The surgery was perfect and there was no complication after the operation, he claimed. He said that the patients were selected from the outpatients department (OPD) and mostly were poor and could not afford the cost of a single corneal graft. He stressed the need for launching awareness campaign for cornea donation at local level in order to help the poor who are charged heavily for transplantation at private hospitals.