Artificial iris implant the first in the region
Dr. Mazen Choulakian, a surgeon and ophthalmologist at the CIUSSS de l\estrie-chus, implanted the first artificial iris in a patient using expertise gained at the University of California Davis.
The operation, the first of its kind to be carried out outside Montreal or Quebec City, was performed at the Hôteldieu in Sherbrooke on October 25 during a two-hour operation. It allowed a Granby patient to recover 80 per cent of the vision of her left eye, a sight she had lost completely following an accident three years ago. The artificial silicone iris is an identical reproduction of the patient’s left eye and was designed in Germany using a high-resolution photo of the eye. Three months after the operation, the patient has completely recovered and will be able to start living normally again. The technology used by Dr. Choulakian offers promising results, requiring little rehabilitation after surgery.
"This delicate operation went well thanks to good planning and the work of the care team,” Choulakian says. “I am proud of the results. At the CIUSSS of Estrie - CHUS, we want to be able to offer patients the most advanced technologies.”
"Although this is a first for our institution, I intend to use this new technology for the benefit of other patients and another operation of this kind is planned in the coming months," he concludes.