Diabetes in the OPT

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot.
Diabetes and the Need to Expand our Retinal Unit

Refurbishment and enlargement of the Medical Retinal Unit at our Jerusalem Hospital is the focus for this year’s fund raising at the Hospital Group.

Medical retinal diseases – disorders of the retina that do not require surgery – are some of the most common conditions that afflict our patients in the Holy Land. The retina is the light-sensitive structure at the back of the eye that receives light and converts it into nerve impulses. Although very delicate, it is extremely complex and is prone to a number of diseases that can permanently affect vision.

Of these, diabetes is by far the most common. In patients whose diabetes is poorly controlled, or those who have had it for a long time, complications often ensue, one of the most devastating of which is diabetic eye disease. Unfortunately, in the Holy Land, diabetes is often poorly controlled because patients cannot afford the life-long treatment, and supervision is frequently poor. Furthermore, diabetes is very common in the region, at least three times as common as in first world countries.

Diabetic eye disease can be treated with laser but it is vital to identify it in its earliest stages if there is to be any chance of preventing sight loss. If we see the patient too late, the vision may be permanently impaired or lost altogether. We are putting in increased effort to identify as many diabetic patients in the community as possible, and hope to start a screening programme as soon as funds allow.

There are many other medical retinal diseases, the best known of which is age-related macular degeneration, and many exciting new treatments have been developed in recent years, which are available at our Hospital in Jerusalem.
Indeed, we are already overworked with the numbers of patients we see for retinal disease and we need to expand the space to allow for more consulting rooms and for special equipment such as lasers. At the moment, patients have to move around the Hospital for diagnosis and treatments.

We are privileged in having on our staff the eminent Israeli doctor Professor Saul Merin, joined recently by consultant Dr. Ghassan Modieh. Saul is a professor at the Hadassah Hospital in West Jerusalem and is renowned throughout the world for his contributions to retinal medicine – most notably for his well-known text book on Inherited Eye Diseases. His presence on the staff and his commitment to the Hospital – he has been coming in for one day a week since 2002 – is an important benefit, both to our patients and to the rest of our doctors, and is an inspiration to all.

Although we are able to offer our many patients with these devastating diseases up-to-the-minute investigation and treatment, at present the doctors and nurses occupy a corner of the Hospital courtyard. Whilst there are no plans to move them, there is scope for enlargement of their Unit. When we have done so, our patients will have a more comfortable waiting area and the assurance of a uniquely staffed and equipped, modern clinic to cope with the ever-increasing numbers who suffer from these terrible conditions.

Chairman, John Talbot