Successful Corneal Workshop in Ghana

Dr. Matthew Bujak, HCP-affiliated ophthalmologist and former HCP International Fellow (2010) returned to Kumasi, Ghana with senior resident Dr. Stephanie Low and International Fellow Dr. Katie Hallahan to work with the cornea team at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). During their visit, the team worked with Ghanaian corneal surgeons Dr. Seth Lartey and Dr. Kwadwo Amoah to perform full thickness transplants and other techniques such as DALK and DSAEK, providing a total of 17 corneal transplants with tissue donated by SightLife and the Eyebank of Canada. Knowledge transfer was also extended to the ophthalmology residents, as they received a series of medical lectures each day on various topics. HCP has been working in Ghana since 2006 and is committed to enhancing capacity in the subspecialty cornea. Corneal blindness is the third leading cause of blindness in the country with less than a handful of surgeons able to address the need. Dr. Lartey and his team receive quarterly shipments of tissue from SightLife and other donating partners as cornea tissue is not readily available locally.