Chinese cataract surgery a real eye opener

A Chinese doctor is checking on a patient's recovery the second day after the surgery. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

YANGON, Myanmar - For two years Than Than Nyan felt deep guilt for her cataracts, even though she had done nothing to cause the eye disease.

"I couldn't see Buddha's face when I was praying," she said. "I couldn't see the faces of respected monks during their sermons. I was really disappointed with myself."

But Than Than Nyan was about to regain her sight in just a few hours – and for free.

The 50-year-old woman was among 364 patients in Myanmar who were receiving free cataract surgery from a Chinese medical team at the Myodaw Medical Center in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, from May 8 to 13.

The six Chinese practitioners, all from the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, included three doctors, two technicians and one nurse. It was the second time they were sponsored by the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD) to give free cataract surgery in Myanmar.

Xu Zhensui, General Secretary of the CFPD, said the organization began the medical aid, called "Second Sight Action", in Myanmar in 2011. This year's aid was a continuation of that program. Among all the patients who were receiving free surgery this year, Xu said, the youngest were only 14 years old, and the eldest 94.

"Some patients came with only one eye," said ophthalmologist Yang Jun, who had performed 30 operations in succession during the morning.

"One eye leaves us with no chance to fail," he said.

Yang's operation style looked distinctive: He had two patients lying down at the same time. While he was taking out the cloudy lenses that caused a patient's cataracts, his assistants anaesthetized another patient. As soon as Yang finished the first patient, he swiftly took off his gloves and operation coat, put on a new set and started doing the second surgery.

Each operation took about four minutes.

In another operation room, ophthalmologist Mei Yan was performing cataract surgery by using a different type of equipment. It took her about 20 minutes to finish one surgery. Her nurse Zhang Haijie was working with her Burmese counterparts to provide the surgeon with the necessary assistance.

"There're definitely language barriers," Zhang said, "but my Burmese colleagues are really warmhearted and cooperative. We know we are doing the same thing," she said.

Conducting an average of 60 operations per day, the medical team had received more patients than expected by Day 6.

"Cataract surgery is small, but it requires great precision," said Xie Song, a technician who was responsible for giving patients ultrasound checks before the operation.

"Just think about repairing a clock versus a watch," Xie said. "Which one is smaller but requires more precision?"

Outside the clinic rooms, Than Than Nyan was sitting quietly among two dozen other patients on the hospital's benches. All had a white, numbered label stuck on their foreheads, and were waiting to be called for a final check-up before going to the two operation rooms.

Than Than Nyan grows crops and makes between 1,500 and 2,000 kyats ($1.8 and $2.5) a day. While public hospitals cannot offer her free cataract surgery, it can cost between 200,000 and 300,000 kyats ($250 and $300) to receive surgery from private hospitals. Than Than Nyan said she could not afford it.

However, she is not the only one who could not afford to have cataract surgery. Myanmar's prominent ophthalmologist Ye Min said that ultraviolet in this country was quite strong, and many areas were dry and windy. This was a major cause for cataracts.

According to the World Health Organization's latest assessment in 2010, cataracts are responsible for 51 percent of world blindness, representing about 20 million people. Although cataracts can be surgically removed, in many countries barriers exist that prevent patients from getting access to surgery.

The RANZCO Eye Foundation, an Australia based non-profit health organization, runs an eye care program in Myanmar. It estimates that Myanmar has one of the highest blindness prevalence rates in the world. Sixty-four percent of blindness is caused by cataracts. Yet the country only has 200 ophthalmologists for its population of 55 million, and most of them only serve the two largest cities of Yangon and Mandalay.

Because of the inadequacies, apart from providing free surgery and medical supplies worth 260,000 yuan ($42,600) this time, the CFPD said it was going to sign a cooperation agreement with the Myodaw Treatment Center to establish the "China-Myanmar Eye Treatment Center" within the next five years.

The Chinese side will provide equipment, funding, medicine and training experts, and Myanmar will then offer at least 1,000 free cataract surgeries for Myanmar patients every year. The earliest exchange will take place this July when several Myanmar ophthalmologists will attend training sessions at the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, the CFPD said.