It is now official that 10 out of 25 patients undergoing cataract surgery at the Khon Kaen Hospital in midDecember have lost sight in one of their eyes.
Doctors at the hospital yesterday confirmed that weekslong treatment failed to restore the sight in the eyes of three more patients. Earlier this week, the hospital already announced that seven other patients suffered from permanent partial blindness due to serious eye infections that might have taken place in the operating theatres.
Between December 14 and December 16, 25 patients underwent eye surgery to treat cataracts at the Khon Kaen Hospital. Of them, 11 reported serious eye infections.
Just one patient, Thongpak Thongrak, has satisfactorily recovered from the symptoms.
The shocking cases of eyesight losses have hurt the Khon Kaen Hospital's image.
Since news reports spread that many patients got serious eye infections from the surgeries, the number of patients seeking eye treatments at the hospital has dropped by 10fold. For years, the Khon Kaen Hospital's eye division had treated between 200 and 300 outpatients each day. However, the number of patients now stood at just between 20 and 30.
Most people who showed up for eye treatment yesterday did not know about the shocking cases. When informed by reporters, many decided to see a doctor elsewhere.
Nualjan Pongnam, the daughter of a patient who became partially blind, yesterday said she was grieved about her father's loss of eyesight.
"If the hospital does not take care of my dad well from now, I will file a lawsuit," she said. She added that she had already consulted a lawyer about the matter.
She said the hospital promised to find a "beautiful" artificial eye for her father.
Due to serious eye infections, doctors had to remove the infected eyes of two patients.
"We will give the patients the best artificial eyes available," hospital director Dr Weerapan Supanchaimat promised yesterday.
He said his hospital had not yet determined why the infections took place.
"We have already thrown away 85 surgical tools and medical appliances in the operating theatres as heightened safety measures," Weerapan said.
As for the permanent facilities inside the operation theatres, he said the hospital staff had already cleaned them thoroughly.
Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said he had already assigned a panel to inspect the operation theatres at the Hospital in a bid to determine the exact cause of the eye infections.
"The conclusion from the panel will be used to develop guidelines for the prevention of such cases," he said.
