Kuwaiti surgeon develops new method to treat cataract

Dubai, Oct 18 (IANS) A Kuwaiti eye specialist has invented a process by which cataracts can be treated with a rentiscope without going for the complex option of retina transplant.

Khaled Al-Sabti, head of the retina ward in the Al-Bahar Eye Centre in Kuwait, told the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that his invention would spare eye cataract patients the time and money consuming process of retina transplant.

He claimed that his process improved the eyesight of his patients by 40 to 60 percent.

Al Sabti's invention has been recorded in the British Journal of Opthalmology.

Elaborating on the process, he said that in conventional surgeries of the retina, the eyesight starts to improve six months after the operation, but in many cases, bodies of the patients reject the transplanted retina.

The surgeon said he applied his innovative medical technique on nine patients, aged between 50 and 74, which helped improve their condition noticeably.

He said he would present his breakthrough method in scientific conferences and events in Canada and the US over the next month.

Kuwait's Health Minister Ali Al-Barrak Saturday praised Al-Sabti for the innovation.

Al-Barrak, in his statement, also urged other Kuwaiti doctors to follow the new method for overall promotion of national medical services.