Belize’s first cornea transplant saves boy’s sight
There are few senses more precious than that of sight. The next story spotlights the work of one Belizean organisation that has helped thousands of people to see better, and thanks to continued investments in technology and networking, is actually reversing the process of blindness.
Brent Toombs, Reporting
Today, this is how the world looks through the eyes of eleven-year-old Edmund Thompson.
Marjorie Thompson, Mother
“He have difficulties have to sit close to the blackboard at home. When he’s at home he has to be close to the TV; if he is reading he has to be close to the book. And when he drops something he’s on the floor looking for it. So that’s when I said something is really wrong with him.”
Dr. Mark Henry, Ophthalmologist
“Edmund is a young fellow that had a condition known as keratoconus. Keratoconus is a dystrophy of the cornea that results in a progressive pointing if you will or colonisation of the central cornea and this results in the in a progressive vision lost. And really, the only adequate treatment for this condition after it progresses to a certain level is corneal transplant surgery.”
Joan Musa, Director, B.C.V.I.
“When he examined and the condition was diagnosed it was realized that the treatment wasn’t available here and that his parents would have to carry him abroad to get the treatment.”
A treatment that carries a ten thousand U.S. dollar price tag, for the operation alone. Without the surgery, this young boy would be, for all practical purposes, blind within five years. But on Monday Edmund became the first person to receive a cornea transplant here in Belize. Performed by Dr. Mark Henry, an ophthalmologist from Kentucky in the United States of America, the sight saving surgery was made possible by the National Eye Centre.
Joan Musa
“We were able to contact an eye bank in Miami, the Lions Eye Bank in Miami and they said yes, certainly they would try as long as the tissue was available. And Dr. Henry we have known for a number of years. He has been coming back and working with us, operating on our patients. He said he would be able to do the procedure.”
Dr. Mark Henry
“For every cornea that is donated someone has died. And so in this particular situation, a person passed away and the family generously donated the cornea tissues. It was harvested by the Florida Lions Eye Bank in Miami. They processed the tissue. The donor undergoes a large batter of testing to rule out certain diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. And if the donor passes these tests, then the tissue is accepted for transplantation. It will then be processed and placed in a nutrient medium where it can be transported. In this particular situation, the cornea was transported by express courier to my home shortly before I left for the airport to come here. The cornea have been harvested, I think six days prior to the surgery.”
Now just five days post-op, Dr. Henry is very optimistic that in time Edmond’s vision will be picture perfect.
Dr. Mark Henry
“Cornea transplant surgery is very successful. The success rate is over ninety percent and a young person such as Edmund has a very high chance of have a successful outcome. Certainly, there are some potential complications that can occur down the road. The cornea is a foreign tissue to Edmund’s body and there is a small risk that his body will reject the tissue. He will be monitored very closely here at the B.C.V.I. and Lion’s clinic.”
Joan Musa
“I think it’s very significant because once it has been done once we know how to do it. And I think it’s just a matter of timing and getting everything together and hopefully we will be able to repeat it for those that need it.”
This is not Dr. Henry’s first working visit to Belize. For the past nine years, his group of medical missionaries have partnered with the Belize Council for Visually Impaired to make modern eye care accessible to Belizeans.
Mark Henry
“We initially came here in 1994, and realised that with Mrs. Musa guidance, that the operating room was inadequate. So we had teams that have come in from our organisation to renovate the operating room, and it was ready for surgery in 1999. And since then we’ve done some occasional trips to Punta Gorda to perform primarily cataract surgery. The operating room in this facility is at the same level of quality that we have available in the United States. I was very pleased, the equipment is state of the art. As a matter of fact, the machine that we used for cataract surgery here on these children is the exact machine that I use at home. And in my opinion it is the best piece of machinery in the world for doing cataract surgery.”
And in a few months Edmund will hopefully be able to see for himself the first class facility that has given him the gift of sight. Reporting for News 5, Brent Toombs.
It should take six to nine months for Edmund to fully recover, and it is likely that he will also need similar surgery on his other eye. The cornea and surgical services were donated, while the medical team paid its own travel expenses. The group of nine visitors also included five dental professionals.
