Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, the Dubai branch of the 200 year-old Moorfields London eye hospital, has treated its first patients under the Noor Dubai initiative which aims to treat one million people with preventive blindness over the next 12 months.
The first patient was an Iraqi woman with dense mature cataracts in both eyes; a bilateral cataract surgery was performed successfully by specialist consultants at the hospital at Dubai Health Care City. The first patient was quickly followed by several other Noor Dubai patients from across the region – Syria, Jordan, Oman and Sudan - visiting Moorfields for treatment.
Cataract is the clouding or opacity of the lens inside the eye, preventing light reaching the retina. People often describe cataract as 'looking through a chiffon scarf.' Congenital cataracts occur in newborn babies who are born with the condition. There is no known prevention for cataracts but modern surgical techniques are highly successful for most patients, who are discharged from hospital on the same day.
Pat Simons, Chief Nurse/Operations Manager at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, said: “We have treated a total of nine Noor Dubai patients from across the region so far and Moorfields has successfully performed cataract or glaucoma surgery on these patients, some of whom were as young as five years old. We are delighted to be supporting Noor Dubai, which is an inspirational initiative, and we are committed to providing world class surgical treatment and care to patients coming to us through this inititative.”
Noor Dubai is an international charitable initiative for the prevention and treatment of blindness and low vision, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The ambitious initiative aims to deliver preventive eye care to over 1 million people as part of its drive to realize its vision of a world free from curable forms of blindness.
About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides daycase surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, including emergency care, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region through its partnership with the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, including a telelink with sophisticated videoconferencing technology, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world. For further information, please visit MEHD’s website at www.moorfields.ae or call 04 429 7888.
