Linden’s lone ophthalmologist aiming to provide quality eye care service to residents

IT may seem an overwhelming task serving as the only person in an entire region giving hope to persons in need of improving their vision, whether it is through surgical procedure or treatment.

This may be the case of Dr. Remeeza McDonald, who, in addition to being the lone Ophthalmologist in Region 10, also serves as the Medical Superintendent of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC). She, however, does it selflessly and diligently and has received overwhelming commendation and positive feedback from the hundreds of patients she has attended during her stint.

She is the reason hundreds of Linden patients are receiving better eye care daily. McDonald has been a pillar of strength for many residents and has made their dreams for better vision realised. She has been described as a thoughtful and highly esteemed doctor who seeks nothing but the best care and solutions to eye diseases, and her many success stories and clean track record can attest to this.

McDonald is a wife and mother of two and has been a general medical practitioner for 13 years but has specialised in ophthalmology for the last six years. Within that period, she has performed cataract and other related eye surgeries on hundreds of patients in Linden. It was to fill that gap that McDonald decided to specialise in ophthalmology. “We didn’t have anyone in Linden to deal with any eye diseases. Patients had to be referred to Georgetown, so when the opportunity came for me to study in the field, I took it,” McDonald said.

She, however, did not realise that her service to her community would have been so treasured and this, she says, brings her the greatest joy since she is able to give back to her community, which she loves very much. “I’m happy to give back to Linden. My town has given me so much, in love, in teaching and in fellowship. I love Linden. It’s a close-knit community that embraces and looks out for its people. It’s a safe place and most importantly, anything you need, you can find right here in Linden,” she noted.

The happy faces that patients have after surgery, McDonald said, motivates her the most as many of those patients would have attested to being fully dependent on family members for daily care. With her blessed hands, she is able to assist them in regaining sight and independence. This, she said, is what she loves about her job the most.

Despite her recent promotion to the second highest rank at LHC, she remembers that her priority is to serve and to serve those who need eye care. Hence, she ensures proper time management to balance her workload. With the recently opened, spanking new ophthalmology department at LHC, McDonald said the standard of the eye care patients receive has definitely improved and has, therefore, made her work easier.

“We have an ideal set-up where the Ophthalmologist and Optometrist work in the same area. That makes referrals quicker. We also have a great complement of nurses who work very well in managing the patients daily.” Her only little challenge, however, is, “…getting the equipment and materials needed for continuous surgery and glaucoma tests,” she said.

While she may be there to treat and save the eyes, McDonald’s theory is that prevention is better than care and so she continues to urge residents of Linden and citizens of Guyana, in general, to take care of their eyes since losing one’s sight can be devastating. Her tips are:
1. Wear protective glasses when one is about to hammer a nail. Too many eyes were lost through this simple act. Use protective glasses at work when doing any construction. It may look ‘not cool’ but God only gave us two eyes, let’s try to keep them.

2. Use sunglasses when outside to protect against the UV rays of the sun. This can prevent Cataract.

3. If you have children whose eyes seem to be looking the other way or are not straight, bring them early to the eye clinic
4. If you have family members with glaucoma, kindly come in for a check-up because you may have it too.