By Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
Professor Rudolph Wagner (left), head of a visiting team from the United States-based ORBIS International In-Hospital Training Programme for paediatric ophthalmology (eye-care in children), screens little Yanike Hewitt's eyes, during yesterday's screening collaboration between the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Kingston, and the team. Assisting is Dr. Leon Vaughan, consultant ophthalmologist at the Bustamante Hospital. - Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer
CASSIA TAYLOR-SMITH and her husband had spent weeks praying for help for their baby daughter.
The two residents of Mandeville, central Manchester, even stayed overnight in Kingston just to be first in line at the Bustamante Hospital for Children's eye clinic to get help for their daughter, Carrissa.
The 16-month-old has an eye condition called "crossed eyes" locally and while she is not having problems now, her parents were worried about how her vision would be affected in the future.
IMPROVE VISION
But all this may be behind them as Carrissa was yesterday selected to be one of 15 children who will undergo surgery from today to Friday to realign their eyes, fix blocked tear ducts and improve vision.
"I am looking forward to her having this thing corrected and getting on with life. I am hoping they have 100 per cent success with her," Mrs. Taylor-Smith said.
The surgery is being made possible through the hospital and a visiting team from the United States-based ORBIS International In-Hospital Training Programme for paediatric ophthalmology (eye-care in children).
ORBIS International will provide educational training for selected local doctors. Its officials held a Screening Clinic yesterday, where about 50 children were scheduled to be screened.
According to Dr. Leon Vaughan, consultant ophthalmologist at Bustamante Hospital, the sooner eye problems are discovered, the greater the chance of their being corrected, and surgery can bring up to 90 per cent realignment depending on how soon the problem is diagnosed and surgery performed.
"It really ought to be done within the first year but definitely if it's over the age of eight then we run into some problems in the development of the eye," he said.
If the problem was not treated then, the affected "eye will become a lazy eye or weaker eye and the full potential will not develop in the particular eye, so even if the child gets glasses, the child may still not see well from that particular eye".
Leading the ORBIS team is Professor Rudolph Wagner, head of the Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology, Columbus Hospital, New Jersey. He will train paediatricians and Accident and Emergency physicians in the identification and management of paediatric ophthalmic emergencies and eye care management.
Ophthalmologists, among them Dr. Vaughan, will be trained in newer eye surgery techniques in areas such as strabismus (squint surgery).
UNIT FOR OPHTHALMOLOGY
This is another step in the Bustamante Hospital's plans to establish a fully functional paediatric unit for ophthalmology there. So far, the hospital has established an outpatient clinic so children no longer go to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) for follow up care, he said.
Seven-month-old D'Andre Cooper is also to benefit from some of these techniques. A hopeful and delighted Pauline Weir, who left St. Thomas for Kingston as early as 6:30 a.m., told The Gleaner that her son's selection feels like a burden being lifted.
Professor Wagner will be the main presenter at various lectures for interested ophthalmologists, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
