Tunisia: Le Kef hospital performs first advanced eye surgery with successful outcome

The regional hospital in Le Kef, Tunisia, has achieved a significant medical milestone by successfully performing a specialized lamellar keratoplasty with conjunctival flap. This high-precision surgery was conducted on a 15-year-old who had previously suffered a severe eye injury.

The procedure is designed to preserve the patient's eyeball, creating the conditions for a subsequent custom-made ocular prosthesis. This technique is recognized for being less psychologically impactful than more invasive surgical options and offers better patient acceptance.

Doctors anticipate fitting the prosthetic eye, which will be crafted to closely resemble the patient's healthy eye, approximately 21 days after the initial surgery. Beyond the medical success, the treatment aims to enhance the young patient's psychological and social well-being, fostering better social integration and quality of life.

This achievement highlights the growing expertise within Tunisia's regional health facilities and demonstrates progress in managing complex eye trauma outside of major university hospital centers.