Surgery helps revive Ethiopian infant's vision

A two-month-old boy from Ethiopia got back his vision after undergoing a complex cataract surgery at a city hospital on Saturday.

A two-month-old boy from Ethiopia got back his vision after undergoing a complex cataract surgery at a city hospital on Saturday.

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Ethan was suffering from congenital cataract, which had impaired his vision completely. "His mother had cataract at the age of nine. We had suspected that Ethan too might develop cataract at an early age. But we were shocked that he was born with a cataract," said Ethan's father Omar Mukhtar, who works in a shipping firm.

The condition was diagnosed by his family physician in Ethiopia a month ago.

"Doctors told us that we need an expert for administering general anaesthesia to Ethan. So I browsed the internet to look for a doctor. After exchanging a few emails, we came to Mumbai," said Omar.

Doctors at Lilavati Hospital were surprised when Ethan's family approached them for the surgery because it is difficult for an infant to be born with a cataract.

"We are not born with vision, it is attained. In cases of such children, if the cataract is not corrected early, it can hamper the vision development of the child," said Dr Himanshu Mehta who operated on the two-month-old

"While operating on month-old babies, administration of anaesthesia is a major concern," he added.