Moorfields Dubai Team Performs Complex Treatment to Save Vision of Young UAE Woman

A consultant team from Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai – the first overseas branch of Moorfields London - has successfully treated a rare combination of eye conditions in a young woman from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The combination of uveitis and severe secondary glaucoma (which was not responding well to medication) meant that the treatment – conducted by a multidisciplinary team of consultant ophthalmologists – carried higher than normal levels of risk and was necessary to save the vision in the left eye of 27-year old patient, Maitha Rashid Al Suwaidi.

Maitha Rashid Al Suwaidi was originally diagnosed by Moorfields in 2014 with uveitis and severe secondary glaucoma with eye inflammation in the left eye, which is a very severe stage of glaucoma and was considered to be threatening to her vision.

Uveitis is the inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented layer that lies between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer composed of the sclera and cornea. Severe cases, if left untreated or treated late can result in vision loss. Secondary glaucoma is a form of glaucoma which causes increased eye pressure and can result in damage to the optic nerve and, ultimately, to loss of vision.

In the search for a long-term solution, Maitha underwent Baerveldt tube 250 (surgical insertion of a special silicone implant) treatment for glaucoma, conducted by Dr. Mohammed Sohaib Mustafa, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Specialist in Glaucoma and Cataract Surgery, while the uveitis is being treated and managed by

Dr. Avinash Gurbaxani, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon in Uveitis and Medical Retinal Diseases and Cataract Surgery.

Dr. Mohammed Sohaib Mustafa, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Specialist in Glaucoma and Cataract Surgery, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, comments: “Maitha is doing very well and is happy with the results of the treatment by our multidisciplinary team. This is a rare case and we would expect to see no more than one patient every year on average, with a similar combination of issues. The treatment, including challenging tube surgery, which needed some complex post surgery adjustment, did carry some risk of complications but was necessary to save her sight. The results are life changing and the eye has settled down well, with Maitha no longer needing to use eye drops. We expect her to continue to do well with careful professional management.”

Maitha Rashid Al Suwaidi adds: “I would like to thank and praise all the staff who looked after me at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai throughout my treatment journey from 2014 until today. In particular, Dr. Sohaib, Dr. Avinash, and all the nurses who have taken care of me during my visits to the hospital. I was very reassured, as the doctors explained to me the treatment plan from the very beginning and were very caring and compassionate.  I feel my eyes are getting much better with time, all thanks to Moorfields Dubai.”