A medical team at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital successfully performed two surgeries to treat neurotrophic keratitis. The surgeries relied on transferring a nerve from the foot and connecting it to a healthy nerve in the eye orbit. By these two surgeries, the hospital has achieved both a new accomplishment for the Kingdom at the medical level and its uniqueness at the Middle East level.

These two rare surgeries come as a result of global partnership programs and international cooperation between the hospital and globally advanced centers in ophthalmology. They are also a result of transferring global experiences, drawing on expertise, training doctors in the hospital, and localizing the latest modern treatment methods to serve the patients in the Kingdom and receive treatment services and technologies comparable to the world’s largest hospitals specialized in ophthalmology.

The medical team was able to perform the surgeries for two Saudi patients with corneal sensory nerve loss. This led to recurring scratches and infections on the corneal surface, which negatively affected the vision. With the participation of a global specialist in oculoplastic surgery from the United States of America, a nerve from the foot was transferred and connected with a healthy sensory nerve in the eye orbit during the surgeries. After that, the corneal sensation will be gradually improved within 3 to 12 months. Consequently, the incidence of corneal infections and scratches will be reduced, and the condition progression and decrease in vision will be stopped.

This surgery is one of several rare surgeries performed by King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital. This reflects the enormous development of the hospital and its use of the most up-to-date treatment technologies in the world and the excellence of the medical and research teams. It is worth noting that King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital is one of the best specialist hospitals in the world according to Newsweek’s list that was recently published.