Burjeel Successfully Treats Emirati Patient’s Complex Case
When it comes to complex and complicated cases, the team at Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi’s premier healthcare facility, are always up for the challenge. So when Dr Madhav Rao, Consultant-Ophthalmology, Vitreous- Retina, Head, Department of Ophthalmology, was referred the case of Nourjehan Sayed Baboeldin, 70-year-old Emirati, he accepted it.
Nourjehan initially came to Dr Rao for retinal evaluation and further management. She had trouble in both her eyes, and her vision was compromised. As an elderly person, this caused her a lot of grief and problems, and she was looking for a solution to alleviate her condition as she was bed ridden with no vision and was on wheel chair.
She is both diabetic, hypertensive for the last 26 years, cardiac issues and on medications. She had already had surgery at a public sector hospital in Sharjah before. Many hospitals had refused to operate under local anaesthesia, couldn’t have stopped her blood thinning agents because of her medical conditions.
Her medical history combined with her age and other factors, made the case complicated. Additionally, since she had already undergone cataract surgery in one eye, and other eye had total cataract and vitreous bleeding with retinal membranes; none of the doctors was willing to take up the challenge. She had lost hope, until she met Dr Rao.
“In this procedure, cataract surgery is followed Pars Plana Vitrectomy method to dissect the membrane skilfully, apply laser to retina and use gas to support the retina. It is a delicate procedure, but has proven to be very beneficial to patients with advanced eye diseases,” says Dr Rao. It is not as simple as it sounds though, and it is thanks to the experience and expertise of Dr Rao that the procedure was completed successfully.
Post-operative follow ups showed that the patient’s vision was improved. Further procedures may be required for the other eye previously operated elsewhere, which will be carefully monitored by the expert team of sub- specialty doctors, at Burjeel, providing a better quality of life for the septuagenarian.
