Cataract eye camp - 140 patients expected to undergo surgery |30 May 2017

One hundred and forty patients are to benefit from surgeries to remove cataract from their eyes during a cataract eye camp that started yesterday morning at the Seychelles Hospital.

This is the fourth such activity conducted by the Melvyn Jones Lions Club and it forms part of the Lions Club centennial celebration activities in Seychelles. The camp is organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

On the second floor of the Seychelles Hospital (yellow roof building) early yesterday morning, many elderly citizens could be seen waiting outside while others were already inside preparing themselves for the small surgery. Some were visibly scared while others showed confidence and were happy that they will soon have better vision.

Dr Vivek Anandan, coordinator of the camp, noted that “this fourth camp is sponsored by district 411A and it is to celebrate the 100 years of existence of the Melvyn Jones Lion Club. Two doctors – Dr Jyoti Trivedi and Dr Ashok Kumar Shah ‒ are on hand to help Dr Roland Barbé perform all the surgeries until the camp ends on June 1. During the last three camps, over 300 interventions were made.”

Speaking to Seychelles NATION just before starting to perform the surgeries, Seychellois eye specialist Dr Roland Barbé said “gone are the days when the patients with cataract had to wait for long.”

“Patients had to wait for a maximum six months and with the sponsorship of Lions Club, it helped reduce the number of patients on the waiting list. Before this camp, we screened the patients, talked and counseled them. Usually the surgical intervention lasts 15 minutes and the patient goes home. The next day the patient comes back to the hospital to remove the dressing. Immediately after, the patient will notice a change in his/her vision. What we do here is a small incision cataract surgery and it is the most cost efficient practice with immediate recovery of vision,” explained Dr Barbé.

Over the years, the Lions Club of Seychelles has been contributing a lot to reduce the number of people living with cataracts in Seychelles.

The Lions motto is ‘We Serve.’ Local Lions Club programmes around the world include sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and many others but political and religious discussions are forbidden. The Lions acronym also stands for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations' Safety.