–Guyanese ophthalmologist urges

AS much as Dr Ajit Kumar Jain enjoys his work as an ophthalmologist, the increasing numbers of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma patients make his work more challenging. Many patients reach out for help when it’s too late and Dr. Jain said he finds it painful each time he has to let them know that nothing can be done to improve their vision at this late stage.

Having operated more than 30,000 cataract surgeries and having worked on more than 500 corneal graftings, take it from him that it is necessary to get screenings done, especially if you’re a high-risk case from a family with a history of glaucoma and diabetes.

“People should not wait until the symptoms start to appear; the diseases are effectively treated in the initial stages, which can prevent blindness,” the 53-year-old doctor told Pepperpot Magazine recently.

Dr. Jain has been working in ophthalmology for the past 25 years and came to Guyana in 2015 from India to head the Ophthalmology Department at Woodlands Hospital. Having worked at various organizations in India, Dr. Jain has also conducted several medical outreaches there. Currently, he does routine ophthalmic consultation, diagnosing and treating various eye diseases. He also routinely performs cataract, glaucoma and pterygium surgeries.

“Many patients, out of fear, don’t do checkups until it’s too late, thinking that they have to undergo cataract surgery and actually it may not be cataract; it could be glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, which are more unforgiving eye diseases. The outcomes are generally poor if the disease is at advanced stages,” he shared.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels in the retina.
These blood vessels can swell and leak. Or, they can close, stopping blood from passing through. “Sometimes abnormal, new blood vessels grow on the retina. All of these changes can steal your vision,” the AAO said.

As for glaucoma, this eye disease is said to be the leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old. “Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve. It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of your eye. That extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve,” the AAO explained.

Dr. Jain has observed that Guyana has a lot of diabetic and glaucoma patients who require lifetime monitoring, treatment and lots of follow-ups, depending upon the stage and control of the disease. Noteworthy is the fact that these conditions do not have to lead to blindness if people diligently do their eye checkups, he stressed.

“Many of the patients reach an ophthalmologist at an advanced disease stage where there is already irreversible loss of vision heading towards total blindness. It’s very painful to tell the patient that it’s late now and nothing can be done; or to refer them overseas for advanced possible eye surgery. This all could have been prevented with effective diagnosis at an early stage,” Dr. Jain said.

He is hopeful that all eye-care institutions will make it a point to educate people about the eye problems that exist, especially glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. “No one should lose their eyesight. All efforts should be made to educate the patients.”

Planning to extend his services to other parts of Guyana, Dr. Jain enjoys doing complex surgeries. “Eye surgery is a very technical microscopic surgery. The more you do it, the more experience you get. The field is very demanding and challenging and constantly upgrading, making surgery more advanced and benefitting patients in terms of better results and faster recovery.”