'World seems brighter', says patient in UAE corneal transplant first

Detailed summary

The world has become a brighter place for a 74-year-old Jordanian man who underwent the UAE's first corneal transplant using locally-sourced tissue.Similar procedures have been…

The world has become a brighter place for a 74-year-old Jordanian man who underwent the UAE's first corneal transplant using locally-sourced tissue.

Similar procedures have been performed previously in the UAE, but using imported donor tissue from outside the country.

Donor tissue was provided by Abu Dhabi Biobank, with surgical expertise from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, to repair the sight of Yaseen Abdel Majid Alabdalat. He had suffered painful complications following cataract surgery last year in Jordan.

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The initial procedure led to bullous keratopathy, a swelling and blistering of the cornea, resulting in blurred vision and sensitivity to light. Mr Alabdalat's right eye required a second procedure a few months later to reposition the lens implant.

However, each procedure carries a risk of losing endothelial cells from the innermost surface of the cornea. This loss worsens after repeated surgery in the same eye and the only definitive treatment is a corneal transplant.

Since the procedure on October 20, Mr Alabdalat has recovered well and is close to regaining perfect vision.

“The pain used to come two or three days a week and there was nothing I could do about it,” said Mr Alabdalat, who has a wife and son in Abu Dhabi. “I had been using prescription eye drops which gave partial relief but did not address the cause.”

“The vision in that eye had deteriorated to the point where I could not read any more. My eyes were painful. But when I had the operation in the morning – and I was home the same afternoon – the pain was gone and my vision had improved.

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