(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) A young Palestinian girl with a rare congenital eye movement disorder recently received treatment in Dubai.
The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) referred the young girl to Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai for specialist eye treatment.
Three-year-old Rumaysa, from Gaza, suffers from Duane's Syndrome, a rare congenital eye movement disorder. She was unable to receive the necessary specialist treatment at hospitals in Palestine, where she lives with her extended family, including her five brothers.
The family got in touch with the PCRF in January and the PCRF decided to refer Rumaysa to Moorfields Eye Hospital in Dubai which has already treated several serious eye cases for the PCRF.
The PCRF UAE Chapter managed all the logistics to bring Rumaysa and her mother to the UAE, including visas, travel arrangements, and accommodation. They are staying with a host family in Sharjah and Rumaysa's surgery was done on June 21.
Duane's syndrome is a rare congenital disorder most commonly characterised by the inability of the eye to move outwards. It is often confused with a simple childhood squint.
Duane syndrome cannot be cured, but surgery can increase the range of eye movement and place the eye in a more central position to reduce the need for the patient to move the head in order to align the eyes for binocular vision. Surgery is not always needed during childhood and can be more appropriate later in life.
Rumaysa's mother, Nima, said that the journey to Dubai began with their first ever flight. "We discovered Rumaysa's eye problem at birth and saw doctors in Gaza but the surgery she needed was not an option there. Rumaysa was eventually referred to the PCRF and then to Moorfields. We are extremely grateful for the support and hope that Rumaysa will leave hospital with her eyes in better condition."
Dr Clare Roberts, Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist and Specialist in Strabismus at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, will conduct Rumaysa's surgery: "Rumaysa's Duane's syndrome causes her eyes to be misaligned and for her eyes and eyelids to move abnormally. She also has poor vision in her left eye as a result of her eye misalignment. Her treatment includes glasses and patching to improve her sight, and surgery to the abnormally contracted eye muscles which should straighten her eye position and also improve the eye and eyelid movements."
