EYE SURGERY CLINIC Koreans Here, Conduct Cataract Operations At Eye Institute
A17-member team from the JC Bit Somang Eye and Internal Medicine Clinic of Seoul, Korea is back in Fiji to conduct cataract surgery.
This was after their successful surgery clinics on around 120 patients six years ago during their first visit.
The six-day clinic commenced on Sunday August, 27 and is scheduled to end tomorrow at the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva.
Retina Specialist Doctor Choi Gyung Bai said the response generated from the first day was positive. “Up until now there have been a total of 35 patients that come in and the response was very good so what we are trying to do was bring another team with all the materials and all the equipment again so that we can give back to the poor because we know there are patients here who cannot afford to do the surgery because its costly for them,” he said.
Doctor Choi said despite cataract normally occurring amongst the elderly, there have been cases where younger patients have shown symptoms.
“Cataract normally occurs amongst old people but sometimes its people in their 20s or 30s who come in because of trauma, this means they may have physical damage to the eye branches that may be caused by being punched,” he said
He said 90 percent of the cataract patients were senile cases usually with ages of 50s to 60s but sometimes patients as young as 2-3 year olds who inherited the ailment were being treated. “Cataract surgery is already happening in Fiji but I think there is a need for retina specialists so there needs to be more equipment to facilitate retina surgeons as well,” Dr Choi said.
He said that despite the need for a phacoemulficification machine in Fiji, the operation costs would be expensive.
Meanwhile the team is planning to test a total of 100 patients in the remaining days.