Successful cornea transplant at FV, 70-year-old teacher continues his passion for teaching

A journey from South to North to regain sight for the eyes

After more than 40 years of teaching, at the age of 70, Mr. Tran Hoang Tuy (living in Vinh Long) still continuously proposes initiatives to stimulate students' passion for learning. He is respected by colleagues, parents and students because he has won many awards for outstanding initiatives. Not only that, he also actively participates in writing textbooks.

In recent years, his eyes have gradually become blurred, causing him a lot of difficulty in his work. He went to a hospital and was prescribed cataract surgery. However, after the surgery, Mr. Tuy's left eye became more blurred, felt gritty, and had constant watery eyes.

Longing to return to the podium, Mr. Tuy went to many medical facilities to have his eyes examined. The diagnoses at previous hospitals said that his left eye had corneal scarring and the best treatment was a corneal transplant.

From these diagnoses, Mr. Tuy and his family spent a lot of time going to hospitals from the South to the North to find opportunities for corneal transplants, but in vain because donated corneas are very scarce, many patients have to wait decades for the opportunity to receive treatment.

Mr. Tran Hoang Tuy and his wife visited FV Hospital.

Photo: FV

Following an acquaintance's recommendation, Dr. Tuy came to FV - one of the few private hospitals in Vietnam that has access to quality corneas imported from the US.

During the first examination of Mr. Tuy, Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai - Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery, FV Hospital, determined that he had congenital Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy syndrome - a syndrome that needs to be screened and carefully evaluated before cataract surgery. "The cataract surgery caused the already deficient corneal endothelial cells to become even more deficient, leading to corneal edema, opacity, blurred vision, even more blurred than before surgery, accompanied by symptoms of foreign body sensation, irritation, watery eyes, photophobia, and glare when exposed to light," Dr. Mai explained.

BSCKII Nguyen Thi Mai checks Mr. Tuy's eye condition

Photo: FV

Fuchs syndrome in its mild stage has almost no symptoms, the cause is mainly genetic, but ophthalmologists can detect a decrease in the number of corneal endothelial cells in the patient's eyes with an endothelial cell counter. He was arranged to have Professor Donald Tan - top 10 corneal transplant surgeons in the world - directly perform a corneal transplant.

Endothelial keratoplasty helps patients' eyes find light again

On October 29, 2024, Dr. Donald Tan performed corneal transplant surgery for Mr. Tuy with the support of Dr. Nguyen Thi Mai. Dr. Donald Tan chose the Descemets Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) method, which only replaces the inner corneal endothelium, leaving the anterior cornea intact. This method gives better clinical results with a low graft rejection rate, few complications, and very good visual recovery compared to penetrating keratoplasty.

The corneal transplant was completed successfully in 40 minutes. After the surgery, Mr. Tuy was asked to lie still for the first 24 hours so that the graft could adhere as firmly as possible. He was carefully examined by nurses and Dr. Donald Tan while in the hospital, as well as given specific instructions on how to care for himself at home.

Professor Donald Tan (left) visited Mr. Tuy on the day of discharge from the hospital.

Photo: FV

Just 8 days after the surgery, Mr. Tuy's vision reached 6/10 and 2 months later, during a follow-up examination in early 2025, tests showed that his vision had increased to 8/10. If before, he could only see blurry scenes within an arm's length, now he can see things clearly from a distance. "From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Dr. Tan, Dr. Mai and all the staff of the FV Hospital's Ophthalmology Department. Finding the light source for my eyes again feels like finding my old optimistic and loving life again," Mr. Tran Hoang Tuy emotionally confided.

Master Tuy and his partner. Regaining sight in his eyes helped Master Tuy return to an optimistic life.

Photo: FV

Opportunity for patients to access imported corneas

Corneal transplantation is the optimal treatment method to restore vision for patients with corneal diseases such as corneal scars due to trauma, corneal dystrophy, corneal ulcers, late-stage keratoconus, congenital Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy syndrome, etc. However, most patients have to wait a long time for donated corneas or have to spend a large amount of money to go abroad for treatment.

Since May 2016, FV Hospital has been performing corneal transplant surgery in collaboration with leading eye disease specialist, Professor Donald Tan from Singapore. All quality corneas at FV are imported directly from reputable eye banks in the US, thereby shortening the waiting time for patients.

Professor Donald Tan directly performs corneal transplant for patients at FV Hospital

Photo: FV

FV is one of the few hospitals equipped with an endothelial cell counter, a corneal topography machine combined with corneal biomechanical strength measurement using the Oculus Corvis ST and Oculus Pentacam AXL machines, helping doctors determine accurate indicators of corneal strength, stiffness and convexity, and can immediately detect problems at a latent stage. In particular, FV Hospital is equipped with the first MS39 anterior segment OCT machine in Vietnam, allowing accurate measurement of corneal damage thickness (inflammation, scarring, degeneration) to each micrometer.

Investing in modern ophthalmology technology helps doctors make accurate diagnoses, advise on detailed surgical plans, increase trust for patients to cooperate and achieve optimal treatment results.

To make an appointment for examination and corneal transplant with Professor Donald Tan, readers can contact the Department of Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery - FV Hospital: (028) 3511 3333, extension 2000.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/duoc-ghep-giac-mac-thanh-cong-tai-fv-thay-giao-u70-tiep-tuc-dam-me-giang-day-185250404100724404.htm