Guyana’s public healthcare system has made a major advancement in specialised eye care, with the first-ever scleral buckle surgeries completed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The procedures were carried out during a week-long surgical collaboration between the World Eye Mission and the Ministry of Health, from February 9 to 13.
The project brought together local expertise and international support to deliver advanced, sight-saving interventions to patients.
The collaboration was led by Guyanese ophthalmologist Dr Arlene Bobb-Semple, the country’s only practising retina specialist, alongside visiting U.S-based retina surgeon Dr Krishi Peddada, who participated through the World Eye Mission.
Over the five days, a total of 11 complex retinal surgeries were performed, including two scleral buckle procedures, a first for Guyana’s public sector. Scleral buckle procedures are a type of eye surgery used to repair retinal detachment by placing a flexible, silicone band (the “buckle”_ around the outside of the eyeball.
This technique is critical in repairing retinal detachments and can be used alone or in combination with other advanced procedures to treat severe or recurrent cases.
The achievement signals a significant expansion in GPHC’s surgical capabilities, reducing the need for patients to seek costly treatment overseas.
It also reflects years of investment in local expertise and infrastructure, with Dr Bobb-Semple playing a central role in developing retina services since joining the hospital in 2018 and introducing complex vitreoretinal surgeries locally in 2021.
With no local ophthalmology subspecialty training programme, such advancements are made possible through a combination of overseas training and strategic international partnerships.
Missions like this not only deliver immediate care but also provide hands-on training and knowledge transfer to local medical teams.
The initiative forms part of a broader push to modernise Guyana’s healthcare system, ensuring that highly specialised, sight-saving treatments become more accessible to citizens. With continued development, procedures like scleral buckle surgery are expected to become routine within the public health sector.