RAWALPINDI: The doctors of the Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO) have performed the first cornea transplant in Pakistan with a local donor, thus, restoring vision in two soldiers.
The cornea was donated by the Major General (Retd) Syed Zafar Mehdi Askari, marking not only a significant moment in the country’s medical and humanitarian history but also the compliance with the will of the late wife of the Major General.
The transplant surgeries were successfully done on Sepoy Ali Ullah, aged 30 years, and Sepoy Falak Sher, aged 26 years, both of whom lost their sight while fighting against terrorism in the operations.
With the great skills of the AFIO’s surgical team, both of the soldiers had the chance of low vision reestablished; the procedure was regarded as a major milestone in the field of eye tranplant and surgery in Pakistan.
Daughter of the deceased donor, Zohra Mehdi, when addressing the occasion, said that she was proud of her mother’s inheritance, and she characterized the act of donation as a “Sadaqah Jariyah (perpetual charity)” that restored light in the lives of two valiant soldiers.
Zohra expressed, “It is the highest respect that my mother’s eyes have offered sight to two heroes who have protected our country.”
The success has doubled AFIO’s medical excellence and at the same time, it is a successful step in the right direction for organ donation awareness in Pakistan.
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The experts called the successful corneal transplant a historic milestone in the vision restoration and an evidence of the professionalism and commitment of the military medical community of Pakistan.
