Mrs Mousa, Jericho, September 2010

Mrs Itaf Mousa’s is a bittersweet tale.  Itaf is a 47 year old female patient who presented at one of our Mobile Outreach Clinics in the village of Al Ouja near Jericho.  She complained of mild ocular discomfort, itching and a burning sensation.  Although Itaf had suffered from diabetes mellitus for 18 years and been hypertensive for five months, she had never consulted an ophthalmologist to have her eyes checked.

Examination of the anterior – front – of the eye revealed only mild allergic conjunctivitis.  However, she also needed a fundus examination to check for diabetic retinopathy.  The fundus is the interior surface of the eye, opposite the lens, and it is examined by instilling eye drops to dilate or enlarge the pupil so that a better internal view can be obtained.  The fundus is then examined using an ophthalmoscope or a fundus camera. 

Mrs Itaf Mousa

At first Itaf panicked and refused to undergo the exam.  The Outreach team carefully explained the procedure to her, and how – because of possible side effects of the diabetes on her eyes that she might be not aware of – it would help us diagnose her condition properly.  Finally, she agreed to the assessment and, after dilating her pupils, it was discovered that she was, indeed, suffering from severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy in both eyes, with retinal detachment in the left eye.  

Retinopathy is damage to the retina caused by diabetes, which can eventually lead to blindness. 

Our team immediately referred Itaf to the Jerusalem Hospital to be assessed by a Vitreo-retinal Surgeon.  There, she was advised that she would have to undergo surgery, and that she had been in danger of losing her sight if she had not come to our Outreach Clinic to seek help.   

We made all of the appropriate arrangements for her to come to the Hospital as soon as possible so that she could undergo the necessary procedures. Itaf was most appreciative of the care and attention that she had received from our Outreach team and at the Hospital.  She expressed her gratitude for our concern for her sight, when she had neglected it!

Unfortunately, Itaf was not granted permission to enter Jerusalem for her surgery and had to undergo a very costly private procedure elsewhere.