Eye surgery patient. Old woman before cataract surgery. Her eye has been injected with a paralysing agent prior to surgery, and the ball over her righ
Eye surgery patient. Old woman before cataract surgery. Her eye has been injected with a paralysing agent prior to surgery, and the ball over her right eye has been tied in place to apply pressure and reduce any swelling. This patient is being treated in a remote rural region of Kenya, and no local or general anaesthetics are available. A cataract is an abnormal cloudy and opaque area that can form in the lens of an eye. The condition will lead to blindness unless it is treated. A cataract operation involves cutting the cornea (at the front of the eye), removing the cloudy lens, and replacing it with a plastic fixed-focus lens. Photographed as part of work by the UK charity MEAK (Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya).
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Photo credit: © JASON KELVIN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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