Mother's joy as eyesight restored by Abu Dhabi hospital allows her to see children clearly again
Ellyzabeth Lukitasari feared she would no longer see her children's faces, or their smiles. After five years of worsening vision, the Indonesian mother-of-two feared her world would go dark.
Diagnosed with glaucoma while living in her home country, she had managed the condition with medication and daily eye drops. But her sight continued to deteriorate.
'Every month, the world looked a little foggier,' said Ms Lukitasari, 34. 'I worried that one day, I wouldn't even recognise my children's faces.'
Now, thanks to a combination of complex surgeries performed at Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, she is able to see them clearly once more.
A life transformed
'The first thing I saw clearly after the bandages came off was my daughter's smile,' she said. 'It felt like a second life.'
Ms Lukitasari moved to the UAE with her husband and children three years ago. Her husband, Mochamad Soleh Wicaksono, recalled how limited her vision had become.
'She couldn't see more than three metres ahead,' he said. 'Our doctor in Indonesia found glaucoma, but they couldn't do much because the nerve was already too thin.'
A comprehensive assessment at Moorfields, part of the M42 healthcare network, revealed the problem was more complex.
Dr Usman Mahmood, consultant ophthalmologist, diagnosed advanced glaucoma, dense cataracts in both eyes, and a misalignment of the eyes, a condition known as strabismus or squint, which was further impairing her sight.
'The cataracts stemmed from chronic uveitis affecting the back of the eye,' said Dr Mahmood. 'We needed to remove them under steroid control before correcting the alignment. It demanded close collaboration across our sub-specialities.'
Ms Lukitasari had several procedures, starting in February and ending in May, beginning with cataract surgery on both eyes followed by strabismus correction. It took a few days after the second eye cataract surgery for her vision to become much better, which allowed her to clearly see her children and support them in daily tasks. Upon completion of the squint surgery alignment her vision got even better gradually.
'Addressing the cataracts first allowed us to accurately measure the squint and plan the second procedure,' said Dr Mahmood. 'I'm pleased to see her vision improve significantly, along with her quality of life. She seems very happy.'
Following cataract removal, Ms Lukitasari was referred to Dr Irfan Khan, consultant ophthalmologist, who performed the strabismus correction surgery to realign her eyes and optimise binocular vision.
'There is a common misconception that squint surgery can't be done on eyes with poor vision – that's a myth,' said Dr Khan. 'If it's performed properly and is successful, patients can maintain good ocular alignment for life. I'm very pleased with the outcome in her case.'
Had the surgeries not been performed, doctors say Ms Lukitasari would likely have lost her remaining vision, leaving her unable to care for her children, read or navigate daily life.
'Thank you to Moorfields Eye Hospital – the doctors, the nurses, and all the staff who achieved this miracle for my wife,' said Mr Wicaksono. 'She used to know people by their voice. Now she can see everyone. It has changed our lives.'
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