Doctors at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna have been commended for successfully launching Corneal Refractive Surgery (CRS) services, using the Laser Machine- the first of its kind- in a Nigerian public hospital.
Speaking on the essence of the Corneal Refractive Surgery Services at the National Eye Centre Kaduna, the Chief Medical Director, Doctor Mahmoud Alhassan said they intend to bridge the technology gap between Nigeria and Europe and as well, reduce medical tourism. “We promise to give evidence-based care to our patients here in Nigeria .”
The CMD disclosed that the centre’s Doctors, surgeons and support staff have undergone training and retraining severally. “In fact, three of our surgeons that were on the team for the Corneal Refractive Surgery of the first five patients were trained abroad in big hospitals and establishments in India. We will continue to train and retrain the doctors and supporting staff to adopt new technologies and skills for efficiency.”
Speaking with newsmen during the routine one-month follow-up on all the five pioneer patients treated via Corneal Refractive Surgery, one of the patients, Aisha Suleiman Abdullahi, who had a refractive error and had used glasses for three years said prior to the surgery, she had doubts but was encouraged.
“I was scared initially when I was told because I didn’t believe our own Nigerian Doctors could handle such a service. I had heard of it being available in India and not Nigeria. My plan before the surgery was to travel to India for it but, when I was informed of the service being available here, I decided to undergo the surgery here at National Eye Centre. That has saved me a lot of millions. Honestly, there is nothing like one seeing with one’s naked eyes. I encourage others to come to Eye Centre because they have qualified doctors and they are great.”
Barakah Yusuf, a 21-year-old student in Zaria and another beneficiary of the surgery, revealed that she had been using glasses for seven years but after the Corneal Refractive Surgery in January 2023, she now does everything without glasses. Other patients, Aisha Nuhu and Zuwaira Jafar, who spoke differently, confirmed that the Refractive Surgery may cost over 3 to 4 million naira or even more in India and Saudi Arabia but they had it at the Centre free of charge. They commended the doctors at the National Eye Centre for their level of professionalism and competence.
Earlier, Dr Peter Jiya, a Consultant Ophthalmologist with the National Eye Centre explained that Corneal Refractive Surgery is not a new procedure, saying over 9.5 million people in the United States of America and more than 40 million worldwide have had Corneal Refractive Surgery (CRS) in the last 25 – 30yrs. He explained that CRS is a laser procedure in which the cornea, the windscreen and the transparent part of the eye are reshaped (sculpted) so as to finally allow images of objects of regard to be focused clearly on the retina.
According to him, refractive errors are common clinical conditions where people are unable to see very well. This, he said, is because of the eye’s inability to focus images on the retina. He stated that the acceptable standard remedy for refractive errors after diagnosis and clinical investigation (Refraction), is the use of prescribed corrective lenses (glasses) which are given for better sight.
Dr Jiya also said the surgery is the first of its kind in Nigerian public hospitals and is done at the National Eye Centre, Kaduna in collaboration with a foreign Corneal Refractive Surgeon from Algeria on the service. He further stated that initially, several patients were screened but, five of them were found fit and were prepared for the procedure.
