Expansion Plans for 2011

Treating 10,000 patients in 2010, ASCRS Foundation’s Robert M. Sinskey Eye Institute in Ethiopia is a major success story. A leading figure behind that success is Dr. Kefyalew Regassa Gobena, the Sinskey Eye Institute’s Staff Ophthalmologist.

Having had early aspirations to become an engineer, Dr. Kefyalew changed his plans after several stays in the hospital opened his eyes to the impact doctors could have on their patients.

In medical school Dr. Kefyalew was greatly influenced by one his professors. "My professor in ophthalmology was a great woman in her profession," he noted. Dr. Kefyalew was impressed by the way she handled her patients, especially the cases of cataracts and anterior uveitis with keratic precipitates (KPs) that she treated. "It was miraculous to see a patient blinded by cataracts regain their sight. That’s when I decided to become an ophthalmologist."

With his daily experience in the Institute, Dr. Kefyalew is no stranger to challenges. "Sometimes we’re not able to help suffering and needy people due to the lack of facilities, skills, or simply the absence of a remedy for their problem," Dr. Kefyalew said.

He points out that the Institute still lacks the capability to perform corneal transplants and photo coagulation. Beyond these limitations, Dr. Kefyalew regularly faces the challenge of treating glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, AMD, and retinitis pigmentosa, all common conditions in his patients.

Fortunately, Dr. Kefyalew has learned that while there are challenges there also are rewards. "The most important daily reward is seeing a blind person regaining his or her sight," said Dr. Kefyalew.  "As a physician and ophthalmologist I involve myself in my patients’ lives. Making a difference in the quality of their lives is tremendously satisfying."

Dr. Kefyalew recalls a 45-year old female patient named Merkeb. He was able to restore her sight after almost nine years of blindness. "This is one of the impressive and rewarding cases in my career. Her quality of life is so changed that she says she was almost born again," said Dr. Kefyalew. Today Merkeb visits regularly bringing new patients with her and has become a passionate advocate for the Sinskey Eye Institute and its work.

With such endorsements, it is not surprising the Institute’s patient volume has seen such impressive growth. When Dr. Kefyalew first began work he was seeing only five patients per day and performing fewer than five cataract surgeries per month. Today, Dr Kefyalew points out, "The number of patients visiting the Institute averages 80-90 per day and he is performing 50-70 major and minor surgeries each month."

"If we continue like this we expect the Institute to grow in all aspects, rendering high volume and high quality service in all spheres of eye care and to become a center of excellence for phacoemulsification in Ethiopia," Dr. Kefyalew added. He also believes that the Sinskey Eye Institute can grow into a teaching institute for some ophthalmic specialties in his country.

Dr Kefyalew underscores the Institute’s current needs, "We need to establish an optometry service as about 25% of the patients visiting daily are due to refractive errors," he noted. He also lists critical needs for a new autorefractor, optical work shop, an argon or diode laser, and an automated visual field analyzer for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma patients.

"The most pressing need today is to secure continuous supplies for phaco surgery," Dr. Kefyalew added.

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